German president regrets collapse of 2015 Iran nuclear deal

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has expressed frustration over the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, saying it could have been avoided and arguing that any future peace agreement is unlikely to improve on the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Steinmeier, who was foreign minister in 2015 when the Vienna nuclear deal was struck with Iran, described that deal as a "good and detailed arrangement."

"It is regrettable that it was subsequently withdrawn by President [Donald] Trump during his first term in office," he told German public broadcaster ARD in comments set to air on Friday.

Following the US withdrawal from the 2015 agreement, tensions flared up again and Iran increased its support for its proxies Hamas and Hezbollah, Steinmeier said. "All of this might have been avoidable had the 2015 agreement remained in place. But that’s water under the bridge," he continued.

He told ARD that he believes the US-Israeli war against Iran was unnecessary, "because the 2015 agreement actually contained everything that people are now trying, with great difficulty, to put back together again."

Steinmeier's comments came after Washington and Tehran signed a framework agreement this week aimed at ending the war launched at the end of February. The two sides now have 60 days to negotiate a lasting deal to end the war.

Steinmeier said the initial agreement offered a chance that the fighting would end, and a process could begin to bring greater stability to the region. However, he said it remains to be seen whether detailed agreements will ultimately be reached. 

The German president said the situation was frustrating, stressing that much of what has happened in recent weeks "could have been avoided if reason had prevailed earlier."