Europe cool on Iran coalition talk, seeks de-escalation

BERLIN (AP) — European officials appear cool toward U.S. talk of building a global coalition against Iran, saying that their top priority is to de-escalate tensions in the region as they cling to hopes of salvaging the nuclear deal with Tehran.

The split over Iran comes amid deepening divisions between the United States and its European allies over foreign policy and trade, with the allies appearing to talk past each other on a matter that both view as a crucial security issue.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday as he headed for a visit to Middle Eastern allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that he would discuss "how we can build out a global coalition" against Tehran that also includes Asia and Europe, describing Iran as "the world's largest state sponsor of terror."

German Foreign Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger said Monday that Berlin had "taken note via the media" of Pompeo's comments on a coalition, a formulation that indicated Berlin had yet to be asked to join directly. He added that "our top aim is and remains a de-escalation of the serious situation," pointing to contacts at various levels with the U.S. and noting that various representatives of the three European countries have recently been in Tehran.

European trio Germany, France and Britain, as well as Russia and China, remain part of the nuclear deal that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration abandoned last year. The 2015 agreement aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.

Germany argues that the agreement, beyond ensuring that Iran doesn't produce nuclear weapons, also helps keep open lines of communication with Tehran to address other concerns about its behavior in the Middle East.

Germany's foreign minister, Heiko Maas, on Sunday doubled down on criticism of the...