Iran will reduce more of its nuclear commitments if the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear deal fail to help the country reap economic benefits from the accord, the Iranian President’s Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi warned on Thursday, according to the Xinhua news agency.
Vaezi referred to what he called Europe’s “inaction” concerning its obligations under the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), saying “if Europe does not fulfill its commitments, Iran will take the fourth step in due time.”
Iran has scaled back its compliance with the 2015 deal signed with world powers in retaliation for US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement last May.
Last month, Iran announced that it was firing up advanced centrifuges that enrich uranium at a faster rate — the latest blow to the landmark 2015 deal.
Last week, the country’s nuclear chief said that Iran plans to start using a new array of IR-6 type advanced centrifuges for enriching uranium within weeks. Under the terms of the 2015 deal, the Islamic Republic had committed to not using the array until late 2023.
On Wednesday, senior Iranian MPs warned that the Islamic Republic will further reduce its commitment to the nuclear deal signed with world powers by limiting international inspectors’ access to its nuclear sites.
Britain, France and Germany have been trying to save the nuclear deal and have vowed to help Iran evade the economic sanctions imposed by the US, shielding companies doing business with the rogue state in an effort to preserve the Iran nuclear deal.
The chief of Iran’s atomic agency recently blamed Europe for his country scaling back its commitments under the deal, saying their broken promises gave the Islamic Republic little choice.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also criticized the European signatories of the nuclear deal on Thursday for being “unable” to fulfill their obligations under the pact, the Tehran Times reported.
Zarif pointed to Iran’s commitment to its obligations under the JCPOA even a year after Washington’s “illegal” withdrawal from the deal, saying “Iran’s strategic patience ended and … it scaled down its undertakings in three different steps.”
“In case of lack of balance in fulfilment of obligations of both sides of the nuclear deal, Iran will embark on materializing necessary measures within the framework of next steps,” Zarif was quoted as saying.
Source » israelnationalnews