VIENNA, July 6 (Xinhua) -- The German foreign minister on Friday said the European Union (EU) could not compensate all of Tehran's losses, such as the retreat of companies leaving the country under pressure from the United States.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas was speaking to reporters ahead of the foreign ministers meeting in Vienna to discuss how to save the Iranian nuclear deal after the U.S. withdrawal, saying efforts were being made to keep Iran in the deal.
However, the EU cannot compensate for everything that happens as a result of the retreat of companies that leave Iran out of a fear of losing American business, he noted.
The meeting comes after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's visit to Vienna this week.
Rouhani said Tehran would stick to the deal only if Iran's interests are secured by the stake holders, as the United States is re-imposing tough sanctions on Iran. He said Iran would decide on its level of cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
The German minister admitted that the situation was difficult, but that the EU wanted to make it clear to Iran that it has economic benefits from the deal. The EU has done that already with the anti-blocking statute and the expansion of the European Investment Bank mandate, looking for possibilities to keep the payment transactions for Iran open.
Foreign ministers from China, Russia, France, Britain, Germany and Iran are meeting in Vienna to seek a solution to save the deal, but Iran is not satisfied with the EU's offer to preserve Tehran's interests under the deal.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday expressed belief that the foreign ministers' meeting on the Iran nuclear issue would surely send a clear signal of solidarity to maintain and implement the deal.
Iran signed the landmark nuclear deal with the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany in 2015 to halt its nuclear weapons program in exchange for sanctions relief.
However, U.S. President Donald Trump decided on May 8 to quit the Iranian nuclear deal and vowed to re-impose sanctions, including oil embargo, on Tehran.
