Iran Urges EU to Fulfill JCPOA Commitments

In a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the goal of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is to normalize Iran's economic relations with other countries.

"Unfortunately, despite Iran's full compliance with its commitments, only a small part of Iran's economic interests has been met, and after the withdrawal of the United States, not only have we not seen any serious action by Europe in this regard, but some European companies left Iran following the US' unilateral sanctions,” the president’s official website quoted him as saying.

Denouncing the inhumane US economic terrorism, Rouhani said, "Iran's full compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA while the other side does not do so is not acceptable for the Iranian nation."

He also pointed to the tension-generating policies of the US in the region and its negative impacts on the security and stability of regional and international relations, saying, "The Islamic Republic of Iran has always been the main provider of freedom and security of navigation in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Sea of Oman, and will continue to play this role."

Rouhani also described the normalization of Iran's banking and oil relations as a primary step for teh JCPOA parties, stressing, "Allocation of a credit line by Europe in this regard can be a good start."

"The more time passes and Iran takes next steps (to reduce commitments), the harder it will be for both sides to return to the starting point," he said, adding that, unfortunately, Europe has missed a lot of opportunities in the past year for living up to its commitments and cooperating with Iran.

"As we have repeatedly stated, Iran's move to reduce its JCPOA commitments so far could be returned to its previous state very fast if Iran's economic interests are met," Rouhani underlined.

The Iranian president also said that the US will not benefit from its hostile acts against Tehran and the continuation of the current trend will be a lose-lose situation for everyone.

"Iran has not begun any tension in the region and will not do so, but it will defend its interests against any tension creation powerfully," he added.

Appreciating the French president's efforts to resolve the tensions, Rouhani said, "Iran always welcomes any initiative aimed at achieving fair solutions and constructive dialogue."

For his part, Macron said, "France will do its best to make sure that Iran enjoys its interests under the JCPOA, and to normalize Tehran's economic relations with other countries."

France is seeking solutions to establish economic relations with Iran despite the US sanctions, Macron said, adding, "Iran-France relations have always been based on mutual trust and we believe that today, we need to attempt to pass these conditions."

Macron also deplored the US unilateral and unacceptable sanctions against Iran, saying, "We need to have more cooperation in finding proper and fair solutions to easing regional tensions until we reach desired results."