Iran’s reduction of JCPOA commitments could be reversed

Iranian First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri said on Monday that Iran’s reduction of commitments under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal could be reversed if other parties upheld their side of the agreement.

Jahangiri made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Head of the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China Song Tao in Tehran on Monday, according to IRNA.

The Iranian official said that Tehran’s move to reduce its commitment is aimed at preserving the nuclear deal from which the United States withdrew in 2018 and reimposed anti-Iran sanctions which had been lifted under the deal.

Ever since announcing its departure from the deal in May 2018, the US administration has tried to block trade between Iranian and European companies by imposing sanctions that target a wide range of Iranian exports, including its crude oil.

“Even though we are aware that friendly countries such as China are facing some restrictions, we expect them to be more active in buying Iranian oil,” Jahangiri said.

To secure trade with Iran and skirt US anti-Iran sanctions, the European signatories of the deal – the UK, France and Germany announced the launch of EU's special payment channel with Iran, namely INSTEX, in January.

Months after unveiling their solution to the sanctions, Iran has yet to reap any benefits from it.

Frustrated with Europe’s lack of action, Iran announced earlier this year that it would cut back on its deal commitments using the mechanisms defined in the agreement if its demands are not met after a 60-day ultimatum that started in May.

As a first step, Iran increased its enriched uranium stockpile to beyond the 300 kilograms set by the deal. Next, it announced that it had begun enriching uranium to purity rates beyond the deal-limit of 3.76 percent.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said on Monday warned the European signatories of the deal that it will not hesitate to take the third step in reducing its commitments if they once again fail to meet its demands.

Mousavi said diplomatic efforts to save the agreement – known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – are underway but Tehran’s patience is limited.

“We are still waiting for the Europeans’ practical and concrete steps in implementing the JCPOA,” he told reporters.

The spokesman’s remarks came after an extraordinary meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission held in Vienna Sunday, where Tehran and the other signatories discussed the future of the landmark accord.

source: Iran Daily