Iran Press/Iran news: The Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Ali Akbar Salehi, commented on the current situation of cooperation between Iran, the Europeans, Russia and China within the framework of Iran's nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and said 'it is unfortunate to say that lately the developments have not been very encouraging.' He said Europe should take this as a message.
In an interview with the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) published on Sunday, Salehi expressed hope that “before it is too late, Europeans, in particular, should deliver on their promises; otherwise, I am afraid that future developments will be neither conducive for us nor for them, or even for other signatories of the JCPOA".
He was referring to the EU’s promised trade mechanism known as Special-Purpose Vehicle (SPV), which is an alternative payment channel for Iran to continue trade transactions with EU countries by circumventing the US sanctions.
There are reports that the EU would launch the trade mechanism by next Monday, January 29.
Elsewhere in the interview, Salehi went on to say that Iran does not want to see the nuclear deal fall apart, or breached by any of the present members. He said although the US has already withdrawn from the JCPOA – back in May 2018 – there are still other parties committed to the agreement.
Salehi went on to reiterate that “Iran has been fulfilling its commitments under the deal and the 13 reports by the IAEA confirming the fact is a clear proof of this claim. ”The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed this in its 13 consecutive reports, based on a robust verification system, proving that Iran is implementing its nuclear commitments. There is no credible peaceful alternative to the JCPOA,” the official added. The top nuclear official noted that “Iran’s patience is wearing thin and it is time for the EU to take its strategic decision. “
Related news:
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Ghassemi: There is a limit to Iran's patience as far as Europe's SPV mechanism is concerned
“On the side of the Europeans, it's been months since they have promised us to come up with the SPV scheme which unfortunately has not yet been materialized,' Salehi said.
“I have heard in the recent news that hopefully by Monday they will probably announce the formation of the SPV,” he added.
“I hope that they will take this step because this is an encouragement and will help keep the trust that we worked so hard to build between the two sides; otherwise, we will be losing the trust and once the trust is lost everybody will be a loser in the game .So I say that this is a battle we should not lose,” the nuclear chief stressed.
Salehi went on to add, “We should win this battle and we can only win it together. Otherwise, it will become a battle already lost and certainly, this will not be in the interests of the Europeans, specifically if one considers that they look at the JCPOA mainly from the perspective of security.” 208/104
Read more:
Der Spiegel: Germany, France, and Britain agree on SPV
FM Spox: Iran has multiple options other than SPV
