Germany, France, UK, US discuss ‘united’ approach to Iran

BERLIN, Germany — The foreign ministers of Germany, France, Britain and the United States on Friday discussed their concerns about Iran during their first in-depth talks since President Joe Biden took office.

"The foreign ministers agreed that they want to revive the traditionally close transatlantic partnership and tackle global challenges together in future," the German foreign ministry said in a statement.

"This first, in-depth exchange between the foreign ministers since President Biden's inauguration was characterised by a trusting and constructive atmosphere."

The European foreign ministers and their new US counterpart Antony Blinken discussed the Iran nuclear deal, which has been in tatters since former President Donald Trump pulled out of the pact in 2018.

"The E3 and the US discussed how a united approach could address our shared concerns towards Iran," tweeted British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, with E3 referring to the three European signatories to the 2015 Iran deal.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Twitter described the talks as an "important conversation on Iran" and handling nuclear and regional security challenges "together".

In a shift from Trump's go-it-alone "America First" approach, State Department spokesman Ned Price said that Blinken "underscored the US commitment to coordinated action to overcome global challenges. "

Blinken and his counterparts "affirmed the centrality of the transatlantic relationship in dealing with security, climate, economic, health and other challenges the world faces," Price said.

This comes as Blinken formally moved Friday to delist Yemen's Houthi rebels as terrorists, a short-lived step by the previous administration that humanitarian groups said jeopardized crucial aid.

"We have formally notified Congress of the secretary's intent to revoke these designations," a State Department spokesperson said.

The move, which will take effect shortly, comes a day after President Joe Biden announced an end to US support for Saudi-led offensive operations in Yemen, where more than 80 percent of the population is surviving on aid.

"This decision has nothing to do with our view of the Houthis and their reprehensible conduct, including attacks against civilians and the kidnapping of American citizens," the spokesperson said.

"We are committed to helping Saudi Arabia defend its territory against further such attacks. Our action is due entirely to the humanitarian consequences of this last-minute designation from the prior administration, which the United Nations and humanitarian organizations have since made clear would accelerate the world's worst humanitarian crisis."

Aid groups say that they have no choice but to deal with the Houthis, who are the de facto government in much of Yemen including the capital Sanaa, and that the terrorist designation would put them at risk of prosecution in the United States.

Blinken's predecessor Mike Pompeo announced the designation days before leaving office last month, pointing to the Houthis' links to Iran, an arch-enemy for former president Donald Trump, and a deadly attack on the airport in Yemen's second city of Aden on December 30.

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