European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told a news briefing before departing to London that she would discuss the situation in the Middle East with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, according to Reuters.

“The use of weapons must stop now to give space for dialogue,” she told reporters after a meeting of her commissioners.

“We are called upon to do everything possible to rekindle talks. There cannot be enough of that. We have established and time-tested relations with many actors in the region and beyond to de-escalate the situation,” she said.

In the first step of hard revenge on the US over the assassination of Lt. General Soleimani Iran’s IRGC force fired tens of ballistic missiles at Ain Al-Assad base in Iraq. Ain al-Assad is an Iraqi airbase that the US terrorist forces are stationed there.

Earlier this week, regarding Trump threats to attack Iran cultural sites, Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Organization (CHTHO) Ali-Asghar Moonesan said that the US attack of Iran’s cultural heritage is ‘unlikely’ and said, “attacking cultural centers contravenes international resolutions.”

He made the remarks on urging parties to expedite INSTEX implementation in a joint press conference with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Beijing on Sunday.

Iran and China will make every effort to preserve the nuclear deal (JCPOA), the Chinese diplomat said while attributing the current unfavorable situation around the JCPOA to the US’ withdrawal from the agreement and its ‘maximum pressure’ policy on Tehran.

Ma Zhaoxu then referred to his earlier meeting with Araghchi, saying the two sides reached a proper consensus on the current status of the JCPOA.

“Preserving the JCPOA requires respecting multilateralism, the rule of law and refraining from unilateralism and hegemony,” he added.

Iran has stressed that all the steps it took to reduce commitments to the nuclear deal are reversible, the Chinese diplomat said, adding that the IAEA is still monitoring the implementation of the JCPOA.

“Iran and China will remain committed to the full and effective implementation of the JCPOA and both believe that Tehran must benefit from the legitimate economic advantages that result from the implementation of the nuclear agreement,” the Chinese diplomat added.

He further asserted that preserving and implementing JCPOA is the only correct way to resolve Iran’s nuclear case and reduce the current tensions.

The announcement was made in a press release by European Commission on Thursday.

According to the report, today’s projects are the first of a wider package of €50 million for Iran, aiming to support the country to address key economic and social challenges. They are part of the renewed cooperation and engagement between the European Union and Iran following the conclusion of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“Since the renewal of the EU-Iran relations as a result of the Iran nuclear deal, cooperation has developed in many sectors. We are committed to sustain it and this new package will widen economic and sectoral relations in areas that are of direct benefit to our citizens,” High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini said.

Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, said, “with these measures, the EU demonstrates its support to the Iranian people and their peaceful and sustainable development. It encourages stronger involvement of all actors in Iran and in particular the private sector.”

Activities supporting the private sector will include support to high-potential Iranian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), the development of selected value chains, and technical assistance to Iran’s Trade Promotion Organisation.

As part of the €18 million, the Commission will also provide technical support in the area of environmental challenges for €8 million and support drug harm reduction for €2 million, according to the press release.

The projects will be implemented by the International Trade Centre, EU Member State agencies, and other organisations in close cooperation with Iranian counterparts.

The move comes as US President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement on May 8, and reinstated sanctions, including extraterritorial ones, against Tehran. US’ unilateral and unlawful pullout from the nuclear agreement prompted the EU to come up with a package of proposals to encourage Iran to stay committed to the JCPOA despite US sanctions.