Iran Press/Europe: In an interview with IRNA correspondent in London on Friday, Jack Straw said he understands Iran's decision to reduce its commitments to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but that he is concerned that this action might give a pretext to other countries to abandon the nuclear deal (JCPOA).
Referring to Boris Johnson the frontrunner for the leadership of the conservative Party, and Britain's next prime minister, Jack straw said he doesn't want undue pressure on Boris Johnson because he might change his pro-JCPOA stance.
Asked why the E3 countries have failed to honour the 11 commitments which they undertook after America's withdrawal from the JCPOA, in order to save the nuclear deal, Jack straw said he doesn't know the details of those 11 commitments, but that the E3 countries have managed to get INSTEX up and running.
INSTEX, short form for Instrument in Support of Trade Exchange, is a special mechanism for European countries to trade with Iran, bypassing US sanctions.
Straw added: "The launch of the special mechanism for Trade, INSTEX, was accompanied by a lot of pressure from the US on Europe. Some European companies are afraid of doing business with Iran because of US sanctions."
Elsewhere in his remarks the former British foreign secretary referred to tensions in the Persian Gulf region saying the situation in the Persian Gulf is very serious and a lot of it goes back to the 'unilateral decision' of President Trump 'to tear up a multilateral nuclear agreement, which United States government had signed and which had been unanimously approved by the UN Security Council'. Straw added: "Form whatever angle you look at it, Trump's decision to withdraw from the JCPOA was a bad decision, and very unwise."
Jack Straw urged Iranians to be more patient about the issue of INSTEX saying first transactions are about to be made. He added: "Once it is going and starts to process transactions wholly bypassing the United States system, which dominates the world, then it can be built up … other countries will join the mechanism.
Regarding the threats made by the US against other countries that work with Iran, he said that some European companies are afraid of the US sanctions, but those companies that don’t work with the US and see their government is supporting INSTEX can start to work with Iran.
Commenting on tensions between Tehran and London over the impounding of an Iranian supertanker by the authorities in Gibraltar, Jack Straw said: "I hope that tensions resulting from the seizure of the oil tanker do not impact on the JCPOA. These are two separate issues. The impounding of the oil tanker is to do with EU sanctions against Syria, and is totally unrelated to [US] sanctions against Iran. I hope that this issue does not hamper cooperation and expansion of relations between Tehran and London."
211/213
