Iran blames Europe for nuclear deal's failure
4 Min Read
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani reiterates that Western sanctions against Tehran are illegal, describing their position as unacceptable and non-constructive.
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Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani holds a press conference in Tehran on July 13, 2022. (AFP)
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani blamed Germany, France, and the United Kingdom for breaking vows they made under the 2015 nuclear deal, which has been unraveling ever since President Donald Trump decided to pull out of the accord and sanction Iran in 2018.
"The US government quit the international agreement illegally and European governments refrained from delivering on the commitments they made under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and to make up for US absence. We are convinced that European governments, specifically three of them, share with the US responsibility for the failure to honor their nuclear commitments," he said.
Last week, France, Germany, and the UK accused Iran of having violated its commitments for four years, following the US withdrawal from the pact in 2018, and alleged that Iran had escalated its nuclear program to "dangerous levels."
In response, Kanaani rebuffed accusations made by the three European countries as "empty," stressing that their sanctions against Tehran were illegal and their position unacceptable and non-constructive.
Additionally, he called on the Europeans to stop looking for excuses and hold responsibility for the implementation of the nuclear deal.
Iran has over 87 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium in its stockpiles, which, if enriched, would be enough to produce at least one nuclear bomb, as per Western media. However, Iran has maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful.
EU and British diplomats, meanwhile, tried to justify their violation of the deal by saying Iran breached the accord itself by selling drones to Russia, albeit without providing evidence.
Additionally, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency, the IAEA, said last week that an agreement on monitoring the Iranian nuclear program has become limited and fragmented.
The sanctions imposed by the European Union were due to expire on October 18 under a UN resolution made at the time of the deal's signing. However, the exact text of the deal merely "called upon" Iran not to do anything to develop ballistic missiles that could carry nuclear weapons, and as such.
It is not known how the agreement will proceed, as Iran and the United States held talks regarding its future, though it is unclear what could happen next.
Senior Middle East advisor to US President Joe Biden, Brett McGurk, traveled to Muscat, Oman, on May 8, ensuring that the trip remained low-profile, in order to examine, with Omani authorities, prospective diplomatic outreach, in the shape of an Omani mediation, to Iran about its nuclear program, according to five US, Israeli, and European sources, as reported by Axios.
McGurk's Muscat trip followed a series of trips that started in Saudi Arabia wherein the Middle East Advisor was accompanied by Jake Sullivan, White House National Security Advisor, Axios reported, which cited four Israeli and US officials as saying that the Riyadh trip was succeeded by a trip to "Israel".
Axios had also reported that a possible proposal for an interim agreement with Iran was discussed between the US and its European and Israeli allies. Such a proposal would include partial sanctions relief in exchange for Iran agreeing to freeze parts of its nuclear program.
Earlier, the administration of US President Joe Biden also dismissed reports of an interim deal, using carefully chosen statements that might suggest Washington's desire to reach a less formal "understanding" that would help circumvent a congressional review process.
