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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

Macron's Top Adviser in Iran as EU Urges it to Uphold Nuclear Deal

European Union flags are seen outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium April 1, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

The European Union on Tuesday urged Iran to reverse its scaled up uranium enrichment that breaches a nuclear arms control deal it agreed with world powers in 2015.

"We continue to urge Iran not take further measures that undermine the nuclear deal to stop and to reverse all activities that are inconsistent with the JCPOA, including the production of low-enriched uranium," an EU spokeswoman told reporters, referring to the deal's formal name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Iran has said it will boost its uranium enrichment in a few hours above a cap set by the nuclear deal, a move that could mean the return of all economic sanctions on Tehran.

French President Emmanuel Macron's top diplomatic adviser is spending two days in Tehran as part of an urgent bid to deescalate rising tensions with Iran over the nuclear deal.

An Elysee Palace official said that adviser Emmanuel Bonne left for Tehran on Tuesday, seeking ways to restart dialogue. The official wasn't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and asked for anonymity.

Macron and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani agreed in a weekend conversation to set a July 15 deadline to solve the current impasse, and ultimately save the 2015 accord that the US pulled out of last year.

Macron spoke with President Donald Trump on Monday — the day Iran began enriching uranium beyond the accord's 3.67 percent limit, and after breaking the limit on stockpiles.

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