High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell | Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP via Getty Images Iran told EU foreign policy chief it doesn’t want escalation Josep Borrell says Iranian foreign minister also told him Tehran is committed to nuclear deal.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell that Tehran doesn't want to escalate tensions following the U.S. killing of a top Iranian general, Borrell told EU foreign ministers in a letter.

In the letter, sent on Sunday and seen by POLITICO, Borrell said he wanted to share with the ministers the conversation he had with Zarif at the weekend "in light of the recent cycle of violence in Iraq that risks to spiral out of control."

Borrell said that while Zarif was "clear in his condemnation regarding the killing of General [Qassem] Soleimani, pointing to public reactions that were difficult to control, he reassured me that Iran did not want to escalate."

Zarif also declared that Iran expected the United Nations to take "appropriate action" but "reserved the right of self-defence," Borrell wrote in his letter.

The Iranian foreign minister also conveyed Iran's "commitment" to stay in the nuclear deal struck with major powers in 2015 but "complained about the lack of dividends received," according to Borrell.

Zarif announced on Sunday evening that Iran was taking a fifth and final "remedial step" away from its undertakings in the nuclear deal — known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). But he also said its moves were within the terms of the agreement. The pact was dealt a severe blow when President Donald Trump pulled out in 2018.

Zarif "shared my assessment that security in the region would be further undermined if the JCPOA failed. We agreed to discuss in more detail in the near future," Borrell wrote.

In the letter, Borrell did not mention to the EU foreign ministers that he had invited Zarif to Brussels for talks — a move that risked further antagonizing senior U.S. officials who complained that European allies have not shown sufficient support for the U.S. after the killing of Soleimani. That invitation was disclosed in a statement on Sunday from the EU's diplomatic service.