LONDON- Iran's President Hassan Rouhani praised Europe on Wednesday for taking a "big step" to maintain business with Tehran after the United States' unilateral withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal and re-imposition of new sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Rouhani was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency that U.S. President Donald Trump was mounting pressures on Tehran for "domestic political gains."

(Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by Toby Chopra) ((bozorgmehr.sharafedin@thomsonreuters.com;))