Iran is now enriching more uranium than Tehran did before it agreed to a nuclear deal with world powers in 2015, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday in a televised speech. 

"We are enriching more uranium before the deal was reached... Pressure has increased on Iran but we continue to progress," Rouhani said. 

Read more:

What's behind Trump's Iran policy?

France, Germany and the UK trigger nuclear deal dispute mechanism against Iran

Iran reduced its nuclear commitments in retaliation for the U.S. withdrawal from the deal and the Europeans "failure" to adhere to their respective obligations, he said. 

The U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of Iranian 2015 nuclear deal in May 2018 and imposed old and new sanctions against Tehran, seeking to press Iran for a new deal. 

In response, Iran gave up all practical commitments to the deal and said it would not negotiate for a U.S.-wanted deal. 

'Frank' talks  

On Thursday, the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell said he held "frank" direct talks with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in New Delhi. 

The EU said it pressed Tehran to preserve the increasingly fragile nuclear deal, which came after Britain, France and Germany formally accused Tehran of breaking the 2015 nuclear arms control agreement.  

In turn, Iran accused European governments Thursday of sacrificing the deal after Trump threatened them with higher car export tariffs.

New 'Trump deal' 

Earlier on Wednesday, Rouhani dismissed a proposal for a new "Trump deal" aimed at resolving the nuclear row, saying it was a "strange" offer and going on to criticize Trump for always breaking promises. 

In a televised speech, the president told Washington to return to the 2015 nuclear pact between Tehran and world powers, adding that Iran could reverse its moves to scale back its commitments under the pact. 

He also urged foreign troops to leave the Middle East after warning that the U.S. troops and EU soldiers are "insecure" in the region.  

His remarks came after Trump on late Tuesday agreed to "replace the Iran deal with the Trump deal" which was proposed by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

(Cover: An Iranian flag flutters in front of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, Austria, September 9, 2019. /Reuters Photo)

(With input from agencies)