New York, May 9 (RHC)--The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres says he is deeply concerned by the United States announcement that it is withdrawing from the international nuclear pact with Iran.

In a statement released shortly after president Donald Trump pulled out the USA from the landmark accord and signed a memorandum to begin reinstating economic sanctions on Iran, Guterres expressed his alarm.

“I have consistently reiterated that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) represents a major achievement in nuclear non-proliferation and diplomacy and has contributed to regional and international peace and security,” he added

Meanwhile, Trump´s decision also drew a rare public rebuke by former president Barack Obama, who said Trump’s withdrawal would leave the world less safe, confronting it with “a losing choice between a nuclear-armed Iran or another war in the Middle East.”

'The constant breach of agreements of which our country is a part implies the risk of undermining the credibility of the United States and puts us at odds with the main powers of the world,' Obama said.

In Europe, dismayed allies sought to salvage the pact with Iran.

French President Emmanuel Macron was due to speak later in the day to his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani, said his foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian Le Drian.

“The region deserves better than further destabilization provoked by American withdrawal. So we want to adhere to it and see to it that Iran does too,” Le Drian told French radio station RTL.

Russia has also said it remains committed to the deal; the Russian and German foreign ministers were also due to meet in Moscow, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said.

The leaders of Britain, Germany and France, signatories to the deal along with China and Russia, said in a joint statement that Trump’s decision was a cause for “regret and concern”.

The JCPOA – reached by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the US and the European Union – sets out rigorous mechanisms for monitoring restrictions placed on Iran’s nuclear program, while paving the way for the lifting UN sanctions against the country.