Iran Condemns E3’s ‘Irresponsible’ Statement on JCPOA Commitment

In a Friday statement, Khatibzadeh said the E3 is expected to implement its JCPOA commitments in full, act upon what the Joint Commission has approved, and return to the full implementation of the JCPOA instead of playing such political blame games.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities are totally legal, legitimate, and within the framework of the international law, and are pursued as part of the inherent and essential rights of the world countries,” he noted.

“Following the United States’ withdrawal from the JCPOA and the reimposition of sanctions, and considering Europe’s continued failure to live up to its commitments to helping Iran reap the economic benefits of the removal of sanctions as per the JCPOA, the Islamic Republic took nuclear steps according to the articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA,” Khatibzadeh said.

“These steps were taken in full compliance with the JCPOA, and the country has always stressed that they will be reversible once the other parties to the JCPOA implement the deal in full,” he added.
The remarks came after France, Germany, Britain in a joint statement on Thursday urged Iran to return to its commitments under the JCPOA.
The Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed in 2015 between Iran and six world states — namely the US, Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China — and was ratified in the form of Resolution 2231.

However, the US under President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out of the JCPOA in May 2018 and reinstated the sanctions that had been lifted by the deal.

As the remaining European parties failed to fulfill their end of the bargain and compensate for Washington’s absence, Iran moved in May 2019 to scale back its JCPOA commitments.