US Senator Says Iran Deal Pullout Was Foolish

US senator says Iran deal pullout was foolish

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The Latest on developments in the Persian Gulf region amid rising tensions between Iran and the U.S. (all times local):

4:10 p.m.

A U.S. senator says Iran's decision to break its uranium stockpile limit under the 2015 nuclear deal puts his country in a bind.

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Senator Patrick Leahy, a Democrat and vocal opponent of President Donald Trump, said on Monday that Trump's decision to pull out of the 2015 accord curbing Iran's nuclear powers was "foolish."

Iran announced on Monday it would break the uranium stockpile limit set by the nuclear deal by Iran and world powers in the next 10 days.

Leahy says that it's "harder for us to say much now when we were foolish enough to pull out of the agreement." He spoke to The Associated Press at the Paris Air Show.

The nuclear deal steadily has unraveled since the Trump administration pulled America out of the accord last year and re-imposed tough economic sanctions on Iran.

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3 p.m.

Editorials in English-language newspapers in the United Arab Emirates are urging calm and diplomacy after a further spike in tensions following last week's attack on oil tankers near the Persian Gulf.

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Abu Dhabi's The National says a diplomatic resolution with Iran is still possible, and while it quoted neighboring Saudi Arabia's crown prince as saying that Iran was behind the first attacks on oil tankers in the region last month, the editorial said investigations were still ongoing and "their source is yet to be confirmed."

It says the UAE has been calling for de-escalation and believes "diplomacy must always come first."

Dubai's Gulf News similarly stressed that "all the major players, including Iran, do not want war."

It says that "because of skyrocketing tensions, it is incumbent that all parties exercise caution and restraint going forward."

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2:50 p.m.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is warning that there's a limited time to save the country's nuclear deal with world powers.

Rouhani made the comment on Monday while meeting the new French ambassador to Tehran, Philippe Thiebaud.

Rouhani's website quoted him as saying that the destruction of the deal was not in anyone's interests.

Rouhani says: "The current situation is very critical and France and the other parties to the (deal) still have a very limited opportunity to play their historic role for saving the deal."

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He added: "There is no doubt that the collapse of the (accord) will not be beneficial for Iran, France, the region and the world."

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1:45 p.m.

European Union foreign ministers are still looking for more information on who might be behind the attacks on two oil tankers traveling near the Strait of Hormuz and called for utmost restraint.

At Monday's meeting of EU foreign ministers, Germany and others insisted they need a clearer picture before wading into a diplomatic conflict which could have serious implications in the Middle East.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that U.S. and British intelligence needs to be compared with other information from allies. "We have to be very careful," he said.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said it was not a time to jump to action without proper information. "The maximum restraint and wisdom should be applied," she said ahead of the monthly foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg.

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1:40 p.m.

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