Iran's FM Contradicts EU/E3 Claim of Upholding JCPOA Commitments

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reacted to a joint statement issued by France, Germany, Britain and the European Union on Tehran’s new step to further suspend its nuclear commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive plan of Action (JCPOA).

"To my EU/E3 Colleagues: 1."Fully upheld commitments under JCPOA". YOU? Really? Just show ONE that you've upheld in the last 18 months. 2. Iran triggered-& exhausted-dispute resolution mechanism while you were procrastinating," Zarif tweeted on Tuesday.

He added, "We're now using para36 remedies. Look at my 6/11/18 letter".

On Monday, the three European countries and the European Union said they were "extremely concerned" by Iran's decision to restart nuclear activities at one of its key sites.

"The Foreign Ministers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom and the High Representative of the European Union are extremely concerned by the latest announcements that Iran is restarting uranium enrichment activities at the Fordow facility, as confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in its November 11 report," they said in a joint statement, AFP reported.

"We urge Iran to reverse all measures inconsistent with the JCPOA,” it added.

The three countries warned Tehran they might trigger a dispute settlement mechanism prescribed by the deal. Under the terms agreed in 2015, the move would start a 30-day deadline for the signatories to resolve the problem. If the issue remains unsolved, it could be directed to the UN Security Council and eventually trigger the "snapback" of sanctions lifted under the deal.

"We affirm our readiness to consider all mechanisms in the (nuclear deal) including the dispute resolution mechanism, to resolve the issues," the European states said.

Under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Fordow nuclear site was supposed to exclude nuclear materials for 15 years, but Iran resumed enrichment activities in the fourth step of reduced commitments to the nuclear deal and transferred a cylinder to the Fordow site containing around 2,000 kilograms of UF6.

Iran had earlier reduced its commitments in three other phases, but the latest one, the injection of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas into centrifuges at Fordow, is believed to be the most important step so far, and a serious warning to the other parties.

In May 2018, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the JCPOA.

Iran and the remaining parties launched talks to save the JCPOA after the US withdrawal, but the three EU parties to the deal (France, Britain, and Germany) have failed to ensure Iran’s economic interests.

The EU’s inaction forced Tehran to stop honoring certain commitments to the nuclear deal, including a rise in the stockpile of enriched uranium.

Iran maintains that the new measures are not designed to harm the JCPOA but to save the accord by creating a balance in the commitments.