Tabnak – As the latest deadline set by Iran for the European parties of the nuclear deal to fulfill their commitments is approaching, Tehran warns that new steps might be taken in its nuclear program. Meanwhile, Iranian officials warn that the Europeans have no excuse to withdraw from the deal.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says Tehran will continue to further scale back its commitments under the nuclear deal it clinched with major world powers in 2015 if the other signatories fail to keep their side of the bargain.
"Iran's decision to reduce part of its commitments under the JCPOA (the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) 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," the AEOI's deputy head for international, parliamentary and legal affairs, Behrouz Kamalvandi, said at the opening ceremony of a training course on the nuclear rights in Tehran on Sunday.
The AEOI official added that the Islamic Republic stands ready to return to the full implementation of its commitments under the JCPOA if the other parties live up to their obligations. "Otherwise, the reduction of the commitments will continue."
Iran has been on track to abandon commitments under the nuclear deal in response to a move by President Donald Trump of the United States to withdraw from the pact and re-impose the "toughest ever" sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the European signatories to a nuclear deal signed between Iran and major world powers in 2015 are legally in no position to withdraw from the accord.
Zarif made the remarks in Tehran on Sunday while addressing an open session of the Iranian Parliament, saying that the three European parties to the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), have failed to fulfill their obligations under the pact and even violated it in some cases.
"In addition to the US that blatantly violated the agreement through its withdrawal, the Europeans (Britain, France and Germany) have also put on the same attitude in some cases," the top Iranian diplomat said.
Zarif emphasized that the JCPOA was an international agreement, which has been ratified by the United Nations and has a clear framework, emphasizing, "The US has pulled out of the deal in violation of international regulations."
US President Donald Trump is a stern critic of the nuclear accord, which was clinched by Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany. Under the agreement, nuclear-related sanctions against Iran were lifted in exchange for curbs on Tehran's nuclear program.
