No Intention to Exit Nuclear Accord

EghtesadOnline: Iran's steps to reduce its compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal are taken based on the provisions of the accord and under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and do not signify the country's intention to pull out of the agreement, a lawmaker said.

News ID: ۷۴۹۰۵۲

27 November 2019

"Iran has committed no violation [and taken no measure] without the supervision of the IAEA. We are acting based on Article 36 of JCPOA," Hossein Naqavi, the spokesman of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, told ICANA, using the abbreviation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the deal's formal name.

Iran is gradually exceeding the limits set in the nuclear deal in response to the United States' withdrawal and reimposition of sanctions, as well as European parties' failure to safeguard Iran's interests.

The moves are aimed at inducing Europe to deliver on their promises to protect the Iranian economy against the US pressure, Financial Tribune reported.

The European Union has repeatedly urged Tehran to return to full compliance, most recently in a statement that they issued following the latest phase of Iran's reciprocal plan in early November.

The new phase involved initiating uranium enrichment in the Fordow nuclear facility where the activity was banned under JCPOA.

In their statement, the European countries had also threatened to "consider all mechanisms in the JCPOA, including the dispute resolution mechanism".

Any of the signatories can trigger a dispute resolution process that could culminate at the United Nations Security Council with a so-called "snapback" of UN sanctions on Iran.

"Instead of issuing statements and using a language of threat, western countries need to meet their commitments under JCPOA for Iran to stop reducing its compliance," Naqavi said.

Iranian officials have declared that all steps will be reversed once the protection of the country's economic interests guaranteed in JCPOA is ensured.

Naqavi noted that further steps are still on the agenda because these countries have fallen short of meeting their commitments.

"While Europeans do not carry out their obligations, they cannot expect Iran to remove its steps [for reducing its commitments] from the agenda. We will continue scaling back our commitments," he said.