Europe not ready to pay any cost for preserving the JCPOA: Iran

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister said in a meeting with British counterpart that now Iran is convinced that the Europeans’ political unwillingness, and NOT their inability, is to blame for their failure to fulfill their commitments under the 2015 agreement.

Iran Press/Iran news: "We are convinced that Europe’s lack of commitment to its JCPOA undertakings was not because of its incapability, but lack of determination,"Seyyed Abbas Araghchi said in a Sunday meeting with British Deputy Foreign Secretary for the Middle East Andrew Murrison in Tehran, Iran Press reported.

Iran says it is now convinced that the Europeans’ political unwillingness, and NOT their inability, is to blame for their failure to fulfill their commitments under the 2015 agreement.

"Europe is not ready to pay any cost for preserving the JCPOA," he added.

"The European companies dare not to disobey the US Treasury Department’s orders, which means Europe’s lack of sovereignty, even inside its own borders," Araqchi added.

Back on May 8, on the first anniversary of the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Iran announced that it would suspend the implementation of some of its commitments under the deal, adding that it would stop exporting excess uranium and heavy water, setting a 60-day deadline for the five remaining parties to the deal to take practical measures towards ensuring its interests in the face of the American sanctions.

In his Sunday comments, Araqchi said the decision to reduce Iran’s commitments under the JCPOA is a national and irreversible decision, and Tehran will keep scaling down its commitments until its demands are met.

Earlier in the day, Iran had vowed that it would suspend more commitments if the Europeans do not act seriously as per the accord.

"Be sure that if the opposite side does not carry out an appropriate measure within the next two weeks, we will take more steps to stop implementing our commitments," Kamal Kharrazi, who serves as the head of Iran's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, said in a meeting with Murrison.

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Kharrazi: Iranian officials serious about new decisions regarding JCPOA

He; however, emphasized that Iran's suspension of fulfilling its commitments would not be tantamount to the country's exit from the nuclear accord, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

He added that Iran is resolute on the suspension of parts of its commitments under the JCPOA in accordance with the deal's text.213/209

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