The president of the European Council has urged Iran not to retaliate to the assassination of its top general with “irreversible acts”, in the latest plea for de-escalation.
Charles Michel, who replaced Donald Tusk in the top role at the end of last year, said the Iran nuclear deal, the so-called JCPOA, could still survive.
It comes a week after the killing of Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by a targeted US drone strike while on a visit to neighbouring Iraq.
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The killing, ordered by US president Donald Trump, has ramped up tensions in the Middle East and raised fears of an open conflict between Iran and the US.
Iran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles as bases housing US forces in Iraq earlier this week in response to the killing.
It has also indicated that it will breach some of the terms of the JCPOA, an agreement which was signed in order to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons – but was repudiated by Donald Trump
Iraq’s parliament responded to Mr Soleimani’s killing by calling for the expulsion of all foreign troops, including Americans.
Mr Michel spoke with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani on the telephone on Thursday morning.
“Following yesterday’s statements, Charles Michel expressed hopes that there will be no further attempts to increase tensions in the region leading to a de-escalation of the situation in the Middle East,” a statement from the European Council read.
“The Iranian President stated that the European Union has always played a stabilising and responsible role in the region and that Iran stands ready to continue a close cooperation with the EU.”
1/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
Iranian mourners gather around a vehicle carrying the coffin of top general Qasem Soleimani during the final stage of funeral processions, in his hometown Kerman. Soleimani was killed outside Baghdad airport in a drone strike ordered by US President Donald Trump, ratcheting up tensions with Iran which has vowed “severe revenge”
AFP via Getty Images
2/24 Tehran
Iranian people carry a coffin of Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani during a funeral procession in Tehran
Official Khamenei website via Reuters
3/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
The assassination of the 62-year-old heightened international concern about a new war in the volatile, oil-rich Middle East and rattled financial markets
AFP via Getty
4/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
West Asia News Agency via Reuters
5/24 Tehran
Mourners packed the streets of Tehran for ceremonies to pay homage to Soleimani, who spearheaded Iran’s Middle East operations as commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force and was killed in a US drone strike on January 3
Iranian Supreme Leader’s Office/EPA
6/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
AFP via Getty Images
7/24 Tehran
Iranians set a US and an Israeli flag on fire during the funeral procession
AFP via Getty Images
8/24 Tehran
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, centre, with Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, second left, and President Hassan Rouhani, third left, standing next to him as he leads a prayer over the caskets of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at Tehran University
Khamenei.IR/AFP via Getty
9/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
AP
10/24 Tehran
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, left, openly weeps as he leads a prayer over the coffin of Qassem Soleimani
AP
11/24 Tehran
Mourners holding posters of Qassem Soleimani
AP
12/24 Tehran
Coffins of Soleimani and others who were killed in Iraq by a US drone strike, are carried on a truck surrounded by mourners during a funeral procession, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) square
AP
13/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
An Iranian mourner holds a placard
AFP via Getty Images
14/24 Tehran
Downtown Tehran was brought to a standstill as mourners flooded the Iranian capital
Khamenei.IR/AFP via Getty
15/24 Tehran
Former Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps chief Mohamad Ali Jafari prays on the coffins of Qasem Soleimani and of other victims during their funeral ceremony
EPA
16/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
AFP via Getty Images
17/24 Tehran
EPA
18/24 Tehran
EPA
19/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
West Asia News Agency via Reuters
20/24 Tehran
Official Khamenei website via Reuters
21/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
AFP via Getty Images
22/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
West Asia News Agency via Reuters
23/24 Tehran
Satellite image Maxar Technologies/AP
24/24 Tehran
EPA
1/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
Iranian mourners gather around a vehicle carrying the coffin of top general Qasem Soleimani during the final stage of funeral processions, in his hometown Kerman. Soleimani was killed outside Baghdad airport in a drone strike ordered by US President Donald Trump, ratcheting up tensions with Iran which has vowed “severe revenge”
AFP via Getty Images
2/24 Tehran
Iranian people carry a coffin of Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani during a funeral procession in Tehran
Official Khamenei website via Reuters
3/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
The assassination of the 62-year-old heightened international concern about a new war in the volatile, oil-rich Middle East and rattled financial markets
AFP via Getty
4/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
West Asia News Agency via Reuters
5/24 Tehran
Mourners packed the streets of Tehran for ceremonies to pay homage to Soleimani, who spearheaded Iran’s Middle East operations as commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force and was killed in a US drone strike on January 3
Iranian Supreme Leader’s Office/EPA
6/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
AFP via Getty Images
7/24 Tehran
Iranians set a US and an Israeli flag on fire during the funeral procession
AFP via Getty Images
8/24 Tehran
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, centre, with Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, second left, and President Hassan Rouhani, third left, standing next to him as he leads a prayer over the caskets of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at Tehran University
Khamenei.IR/AFP via Getty
9/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
AP
10/24 Tehran
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, left, openly weeps as he leads a prayer over the coffin of Qassem Soleimani
AP
11/24 Tehran
Mourners holding posters of Qassem Soleimani
AP
12/24 Tehran
Coffins of Soleimani and others who were killed in Iraq by a US drone strike, are carried on a truck surrounded by mourners during a funeral procession, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) square
AP
13/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
An Iranian mourner holds a placard
AFP via Getty Images
14/24 Tehran
Downtown Tehran was brought to a standstill as mourners flooded the Iranian capital
Khamenei.IR/AFP via Getty
15/24 Tehran
Former Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps chief Mohamad Ali Jafari prays on the coffins of Qasem Soleimani and of other victims during their funeral ceremony
EPA
16/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
AFP via Getty Images
17/24 Tehran
EPA
18/24 Tehran
EPA
19/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
West Asia News Agency via Reuters
20/24 Tehran
Official Khamenei website via Reuters
21/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
AFP via Getty Images
22/24 Kerman – Final stage of funeral processions
West Asia News Agency via Reuters
23/24 Tehran
Satellite image Maxar Technologies/AP
24/24 Tehran
EPA
Mr Michel said of the conversation: “I called Iran not to pose irreversible acts.”
Since the election of Donald Trump to the US presidency the EU has positioned itself as the guardian of the Iran nuclear deal and taken steps to circumvent renewed US sanctions on the country.
The US says Mr Soleimani was killed because of his role in directly Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria.
