MNA – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday G7 leaders had taken a big step forward in their efforts to avoid an escalation of tensions between Iran and the US.

All the G7 leaders agreed not only that Iran should not have nuclear weapons but also that negotiations were the right way to achieve that goal, Merkel said on Monday while speaking to reporters after meeting leaders from the G7 economic powers, according to the Reuters.

Merkel's remarks come at a time that Iran has repeatedly said that its nuclear program is for peaceful energy purposes and the Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran has issued a Fatwa banning possession of any kinds of WMDs. Furthermore, Iran's nuclear activities have been under full monitoring of the IAEA in accordance with the JCPOA, from which the United States illegally withdrew last year.

The German leader added that the United States had welcomed European talks with Iran.

“What the outcome will be, what possibilities open up, we can’t say today,” she said of the talks. “But the firm will to talk is already a big step forward.”

“We all have a big interest in a peaceful solution to such a conflict, but it won’t be easy,” Merkel added.

On May 8, the anniversary of the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal (JCPOA), Iran announced that it was partially discontinuing its obligations under the JCPOA and urged nuclear deal remaining signatories – China, the European Union, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom – to shield Tehran from Washington's sanctions.

As a first step, Iran increased its enriched uranium stockpile to a level above the 300 kilograms set by the JCPOA.

In the second step, Tehran began enriching uranium to purity rates beyond the JCPOA-limit of 3.76 percent and it has announced that it may increase the level of uranium enrichment to pre-JCPOA era to 20% as the third step to reduce its JCPOA-related commitments.