BRUSSELS (AP) — European leaders are being guarded in their responses to the deepening tensions between the United States and Iran, urging both sides to step back from confrontation.

Influential European countries have for months been steering a delicate path between Washington and Tehran, since the President Donald Trump's administration last year pulled out of a nuclear agreement with Iran which the European Union is keen to keep intact.

That pact ensures Tehran's nuclear program is restricted to civilian uses in exchange for economic assistance and was signed by Iran, the U.S., Russia, Chin...