Germany's foreign minister says it remains important to stop any "spiral" of escalation in the Persian Gulf amid heightened tensions with Iran.

Heiko Maas made the comment Sunday night in Abu Dhabi during a news conference with his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Maas also stressed the importance of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers. Germany is a signatory on the accord, which U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled America from a year ago.

Of renegotiating the deal, Maas said: "Less for less is something we wouldn't accept."

Maas will meet with Iranian officials on Monday in Tehran. His visit comes ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's trip to Iran later this week to try to ease tensions.