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France, Britain, Germany Urge Iran to Stick to 2015 Nuclear Pact, Abstain
From Violence

RFE/RL

   The so-called E3 group of countries comprised of France, Britain, and
   Germany has called on Tehran to respect the 2015 nuclear deal with
   world powers and refrain from violence, following the killing of a top
   Iranian general by U.S. forces.

   In a joint statement released Jan. 6, the three EU signatories of the
   nuclear deal emphasized the importance of scaling back tensions in Iraq
   and Iran, and reasserted their resolve to fight the Islamic State (IS)
   group.

   "We reaffirm our commitment to continuing the fight against Islamic
   State, which remains a priority. It is essential that we keep the
   coalition, in this regard. We call on the Iraqi authorities to continue
   to supply the necessary support to the coalition," the E3 group said in
   a statement.

   A day earlier, Iran said it would no longer abide by any of the
   restrictions set down in the nuclear accord, amid mounting tensions
   with the United States.

   The government announced Iran's fifth step back from the accord in a
   statement cited by official media, saying the country will forego the
   "limit on the number of centrifuges" used to enrich uranium.

   Iran would no longer observe limitations on the level of enrichment,
   the amount of stockpiled enriched material, or research and development
   in its nuclear activities, the statement also said.

   It did not elaborate on what levels it would immediately reach in its
   program.

   The announcement comes three days after a U.S. air strike killed Iran's
   top military commander, Qasem Soleimani, in neighboring Iraq -- further
   escalating tensions in the region.

   Tehran and Washington have been at loggerheads since the United States
   withdrew last year from the 2015 nuclear accord that offered Iran
   sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.

   Washington has since reimposed crippling sanctions on the Iranian
   economy, while Tehran has gradually reduced some of its commitments
   under the deal.

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