Putin, Merkel highlight importance of preserving Iran deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed the importance of preserving the Iran nuclear deal against the backdrop of Washington's unilateral withdrawal from it in a telephone conversation on Friday, TASS with reference to the Kremlin press service reported.

"[They] discussed the situation around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in the wake of the United States' unilateral withdrawal from it and pointed to the fundamental importance of preserving the JCPOA from the perspective of international and regional security," the press service said, adding that the phone call was initiated by the German side.

"The Syrian issue was brought up as well as preparations for Angela Merkel's working visit to Sochi scheduled for May 18," the Kremlin press service said.