(ANSA-AP) - MUNICH - German Chancellor Angela Merkel is defending European powers' decision to stand by the Iran nuclear deal, describing it as an "anchor" allowing the West to exert pressure. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence accused Germany, France and Britain of trying to "break" American sanctions on Iran and called on them to follow Washington in pulling out of the nuclear deal. Merkel told the Munich Security Conference Saturday the split over Iran "depresses me very much," but downplayed the substance of the differences. She said: "I see the ballistic missile program, I see Iran in Yemen and above all I see Iran in Syria." But "the only question that stands between us on this issue is, do we help our common cause, our common aim of containing the damaging or difficult development of Iran, by withdrawing from the one remaining agreement? Or do we help it more by keeping the small anchor we have in order maybe to exert pressure in other areas?" German Chancellor Angela Merkel is calling on China to join international disarmament negotiations after the collapse of a Cold War-era treaty on nuclear weapons in Europe. The U.S.

earlier this month announced that it was pulling out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, accusing Russia of violating it. Moscow followed suit, strongly denying any breaches. The U.S. administration also worried that the pact was an obstacle to efforts to counter intermediate-range missiles deployed by China. Merkel told the Munich Security Conference Saturday that the U.S. withdrawal was "inevitable" because of Russian violations. But she noted the end of a treaty conceived "essentially for Europe" leaves Europe trying to secure future disarmament to protect its own interests.

Us Trade minister said european cars are a danger for national security. That's scary for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as she said in Munich. "We are proud of our cars". (ANSA-AP)