Ali Akbar Salehi
Ali Akbar SalehiReuters

The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, said on Tuesday that Europe’s proposals to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal after the U.S. withdrawal from the pact were not satisfying for Tehran, Reuters reported.

Salehi warned that all sides would lose if Iran is sidelined by the West, according to the report.

His comments came in a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Referring to Iran’s important regional role, Salehi was quoted as saying, “If it continues like this, all sides will lose.”

U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran deal last month and announced he would reimpose sanctions on Iran. The European Union, however, did not follow suit, and said it would remain in the agreement and will do so “as long as Iran continues to implement its nuclear related commitments, as it is doing so far.”

Tehran has demanded that Europe come up with an economic package to offset the effects of the U.S. withdrawal.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned world powers last week that it was impossible for Tehran to stay in the nuclear deal if it cannot benefit from it after the U.S. withdrawal.

“If Iran cannot benefit from the (nuclear) deal, then it’s practically impossible to stay in the accord,” Rouhani told French President Emmanuel Macron.

Iran notified the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) two weeks ago that the Atomic Energy Organization is opening a center for producing new centrifuges for uranium enrichment at Natanz.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian later warned Iran that its plan to increase its uranium enrichment capacity took it close to a "red line".

"It is always dangerous to flirt with red lines," he said, though he stressed that these plans did not constitute a breach of the 2015 nuclear deal signed between Iran and world powers.