TEHRAN – A former United States permanent representative to NATO believes that European countries’ invitation of President Hassan Rouhani sends an important message to Washington.

Speaking to IRNA in an interview published on Monday, Robert E. Hunter said Rouhani’s trip can be an attempt to sabotage U.S. attempt to isolate Iran and destroy the nuclear deal, aka the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Rouhani’s trip shows Iran’s attempt to tap all existing opportunities to strike back at the anti-Iran coalition created by the U.S. and its allies in the region, he said.

He further said that a killing of the JCPOA would pose great danger to Europe and the whole world, one of which would be a start of nuclear race in the region.

Rouhani on Monday left Tehran on a trip to Switzerland and Austria to discuss ways of improving mutual relations amid the looming imposition of U.S. economic sanctions on Tehran.

Heading a high-ranking politico-economic delegation, Rouhani first headed to Bern on the first leg of his tour at the invitation of his Swiss counterpart, Alain Berset.

Besides holding talks with Berset, Rouhani was slated to meet Iranian nationals residing in Switzerland.

The two countries were also to sign several documents for bolstering cooperation in various political, economic and cultural sectors.

The Iranian president will later set off for Vienna to meet Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, where Tehran and Vienna would sign documents for cooperation.

A number of Iranian representatives from the private sector are accompanying Rouhani.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that Washington was walking away from the nuclear agreement, which was reached between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China - plus Germany in 2015.

Trump also said he would reinstate U.S. nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose "the highest level" of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.

Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.

Since the U.S. president pulled Washington out of the historic nuclear deal, European countries have been scrambling to ensure that Iran gets enough economic benefits to persuade it to stay in the deal.

The remaining parties have vowed to stay in the accord.

SP/PA