Iran to Further Reduce Nuclear Obligations If Nothing Changes: Diplomat
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyed Abbas Araqchi said the country will further reduce its obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal if the situation does not change and other parties to the agreement continue to fail to meet their commitments.
Speaking to reporters on Friday on the sideline of the 5th Conference on Nonproliferation at the Lotte Hotel in Moscow, Araqchi said that no country has doubts about Iran’s goodwill to preserve the nuclear agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“Iran has given diplomacy enough opportunity (to save the JCPOA) and if conditions do not change, it will follow the path to reduce its commitments,” the diplomat added.
The Islamic Republic of Iran’s determination to defend its national interests is clear and it is a topic that is debated in all international circles, he went on to say.
Iran on Wednesday took the 4th step in reducing its commitments under the JCPOA in reaction to the continued failure of the European parties to meet their obligations to the agreement.
In May 2018, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the JCPOA.
Iran and the remaining parties launched talks to save the JCPOA after the US withdrawal, but the three EU parties to the deal (France, Britain, and Germany) have failed to ensure Iran’s economic interests.
The EU’s inaction forced Tehran to stop honoring certain commitments to the nuclear deal, including a rise in the stockpile of enriched uranium.
Iran maintains that the new measures are not designed to harm the JCPOA but to save the accord by creating a balance in the commitments.