Iran’s FM: Europe proved incapable of fulfilling JCPAO commitments

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers have proved incapable of fulfilling their commitments under the agreement.

Zarif said that Iran remained fully compliant with the agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), even one year after the US’ withdrawal from the deal, and gave the Europeans time to implement their obligations to make up for Washington’s pullout.

Zarif made the remarks during the 14th round of Iran-South Africa joint commission meetings in Tehran on Wednesday.

“Unfortunately, we have not witnessed an efficient measure [on the part of the Europeans], and Europe proved it is not capable of implementing its commitments,” he said.

The top Iranian diplomat said that consequently Tehran’s “strategic patience” was exhausted and it scaled back some of its commitments under the JCPOA in line with Articles 26 and 36 of the agreement.  

He said the US left the JCPOA in defiance of international criticism and in blatant violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorses the deal, adding that Washington’s move undermined non-proliferation and multifaceted diplomacy.      

Zarif warned once again that should other parties continue to renege on their commitments Iran will take further steps in suspending its commitments.

“If balance is not restored to the implementation of commitments by the parties [to the JCPOA], other necessary measures will be taken [by Iran] in next steps towards reducing commitments,” he said.    

For her part, South African Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor said her country backed countries’ right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and opposed the US’ unilateral sanctions against Iran.

Zarif’s remarks came on the same day that France demanded Iran refrain from entering a new phase of reducing its obligations under the JCPOA.

PressTV-Europeans in no position to quit nuclear deal: Zarif

Foreign Minister Zarif says Europeans are in no position to pull out of the JCPOA.

"Iran must abstain from crossing an especially worrying new phase of new measures that could contribute to an escalation in tensions," French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnès von der Muhll told reporters in a daily briefing.

President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the JCPOA in May 2018 and unleashed the "toughest ever" sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism in a failed bid to strangle the Iranian oil trade.

The JCPOA was reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries -- the US, the UK, France, Russia, and China plus Germany -- in July 2015.

In response to the US move, Tehran has so far rowed back on its nuclear commitments three times in compliance with articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA but stressed that its retaliatory measures will be reversible as soon as Europe finds practical ways to shield the mutual trade from the US sanctions.

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said on October 6 that Tehran will continue to further scale back its commitments under the JCPOA if the other signatories fail to keep their side of the bargain.

PressTV-'Iran mulls more steps to slash JCPOA commitments'

Tehran says it will reverse the decision if the other parties take action to save the nuclear deal.

"Iran's decision to reduce part of its commitments under the JCPOA was taken after one-year strategic patience in response to a unilateral move by Washington to withdraw from the deal and with the purpose of striking balance between the [country's] rights and commitments," said the AEOI's spokesman, Behrouz Kamalvandi.

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