Germany's Maas agrees in call with U.S.'s Blinken to cooperate closely

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas spoke with new U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday and agreed to cooperate closely on a broad range of issues, the German Foreign Ministry said in a tweet. "In their first call, FM HeikoMaas complimented his new US colleague SecBlinken on his appointment," the ministry said.

"Both agreed on cooperating closely on a broad range of issues such as China's global role, the JCPoA, our joint engagement in Afghanistan and the fight against climate change." The JCPoA, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, is a 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which allows for sanctions on Iran if Tehran violates the deal.

(Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Maria Sheahan)