“This threat exists,” said the German defence minister, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, at a press conference in London.
Kramp-Karrenbauer told reporters on Thursday: “This expression or threat, as you will, does exist.”
She is in the UK to meet her counterpart, Ben Wallace, to discuss Anglo-European defence cooperation post-Brexit.
Following the meeting the ministers called for an independent and transparent investigation governed by international civil aviation conventions.
Iran initially denied responsibility for the crash, but three days later admitted that it had downed the plane believing it was an incoming US missile.
As a result they claim the Trump threat did not push Europe into abandoning its policy of trying to keep the nuclear deal with Iran alive.
In his speech, Rouhani acknowledged the sanctions had caused economic pain but said such considerations could not be separated from foreign policy and national security. »