Wang urges Iran to stay calm in deal with US

Trump complains of flaws, warns Washington might abandon pact

Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart on Saturday to remain calm, and he pledged to continue playing a constructive role in maintaining and implementing the Iran nuclear deal.

Wang made a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif after the United States decided to extend sanctions relief on Iran but threatened to withdraw from the landmark pact unless alleged "disastrous flaws" could be fixed.

Calling it "a last chance," US President Donald Trump said in a White House statement that his country "will not again waive sanctions in order to stay in the Iran nuclear deal."

Continuing to maintain and implement the deal is the responsibility of all parties concerned, as well as the common wish of the international community, Wang said.

The deal will help to uphold the international nonproliferation system, maintain regional peace and stability and solve other hot spot issues in the world, he said.

Implementation of the deal has not been derailed but will face new complicating factors, Wang said, calling on Iran to remain calm and continue to fulfill its obligations under the deal.

Zarif said he agrees with Wang and expressed his gratitude for Wang's position.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang called on all parties on Saturday to cherish the hard-won Iran nuclear deal.

"Under the current situation, we hope the relevant parties can ... properly manage differences and continue to comprehensively and effectively implement the deal from an overall and long-term perspective", Lu said.

He also emphasized that it is China's consistent and clear position to oppose unilateral sanctions against other countries in accordance with a country's domestic law.

Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that the Islamic republic will never succumb to pressure from the US to renegotiate the 2015 nuclear deal.

Russia, one of the parties to the Iran pact, called Trump's stance on the pact "extremely troubling", according to RIA state news agency.

The US Department of Treasury said on Friday that it had imposed new sanctions on 14 individuals and entities over Iran's alleged human rights abuses and ballistic missile program.

Analysts pointed out that the US is seeking to amend the deal by putting pressure on other countries because unilaterally tearing up the Iran nuclear deal might bring diplomatic and security costs, but the risk still exists and the future of the deal is uncertain.

Niu Xinchun, director of the Institute of Middle East Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations said that extending sanctions relief shows that the Iran nuclear deal conforms with US interests because it is the most effective way to restrict Iran to develop nuclear weapons.

"The US did not want to completely tear up the Iran nuclear deal, while the country would like to put pressure on other relevant countries to take actions to restrain Iran's missile ability and Iran's policy to the Middle East", he said.

Xinhua and Reuters contributed to this story.