Iran said on Tuesday it will attend an urgent meeting with countries still party to the troubled nuclear deal, as it declared itself the "guardian of security" in the Gulf amid a tanker crisis.

The planned July 28 meeting is aimed at salvaging the hard-won deal, on life-support since the US withdrew from it last year and reimposed biting sanctions against Iran.

The nuclear deal meeting was requested by the European parties to discuss the "new situation", Iran said, referring to its reduced nuclear commitments under the deal in response to the US withdrawal.

"It was agreed to convene an extraordinary meeting of the JCPOA joint commission in Vienna on July 28," Iran's foreign ministry said, using the acronym for the deal's formal name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The EU confirmed Iran would meet envoys from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — the remaining parties to the deal — in Vienna on Sunday.

Tehran has already given up on complying with some of the deal's limits on its nuclear program in retaliation for the US withdrawal and what it sees as the failure of remaining parties to help it circumvent sanctions.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has left for France to deliver a message from Rouhani to his counterpart Emmanuel Macron, the ministry's spokesman tweeted on Tuesday, without elaborating.

Macron's top diplomatic adviser Emmanuel Bonne visited Iran on July 9 to "piece together a de-escalation" strategy and met top Iranian officials.

The 2015 deal curbed Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

But on May 8 —- more than a year after the US withdrawal — Iran said it would disregard certain limits on the program as it was not receiving any benefits.

Iran has threatened further measures if the remaining parties to the deal fail to help it circumvent US sanctions, especially to sell its oil.

It has since exceeded the deal's limits on its enriched uranium and heavy water stockpiles, as well as passing a cap on its uranium enrichment.

The 4.5 percent enrichment level it reached is well below the more than 90 percent required for a nuclear warhead.

Iran has yet to specify what other steps it may take, and has repeatedly emphasized its actions can be reversed "within hours" if European partners deliver on commitments.

Meanwhile, China described as "illegal" US sanctions imposed on its companies as part of Washington's campaign against Iran. 

SOURCE : SAUDIGAZETTE