BERLIN, May 9 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday reaffirmed Germany's commitment to the Iran nuclear deal, saying the U.S. withdrawal "serious" and caused regret and concerns.
"I think yesterday showed us that we in Europe will have to take more responsibility," Merkel said at a conference of district chairpersons of her Christian Democratic Union.
"Germany, France and Britain have decided that we will abide by the agreement, and we will do everything we can to see that Iran also abides by its responsibilities in the future," said Merkel.
She stressed that the European countries viewed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal as an "important pillar that we don't want to do without".
However, Merkel acknowledged concerns over Iran's ballistic missile program as well as its influence in the Middle East region.
"There are areas beyond the (nuclear) accord that we must talk about," she said.