Iran Notifies EU of Decision to Expand Nuclear R&D

In his letter to Mogherini, Zarif has announced that “the Islamic Republic of Iran will stop implementing all its JCPOA commitments with regards to nuclear research and development” as of Friday due to the “impacts of America’s exit from the JCPOA and the re-imposition of its sanctions, and the three European countries’ failure to fulfill their commitments under the JCPOA and the communiqués of the joint commission,” Mousavi said Thursday.

“It has been emphasised in this letter that the move is exactly in line with Iran’s rights under the JCPOA, especially based on its Paragraph 36, and is a response to widespread and continued violations of the JCPOA over the past 16 months.”

“Iran will subsequently inform the International Atomic Energy Agency of the technical and operational details of its decision to stop implementing its nuclear R&D commitments,” he added.

According to the spokesman, the final part of the letter stresses that “in order to show its good will, the Islamic Republic of Iran is prepared to continue negotiations at all levels with the parties remaining in the JCPOA, and to return to the full implementation of the JCPOA in case the other parties implement all their JCPOA commitments.”

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced on Wednesday that the country will expand its nuclear research and development as of September 6, lifting all the restrictions imposed on the country’s R&D in the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Since May, Iran has been suspending some of its commitments under the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was clinched between Tehran and world powers in 2015. The country has already rowed back on its nuclear commitments twice in compliance with articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA.

According to Rouhani, the third step will be taken on Friday, after talks between Iran and the P4+1 group of countries did not bear “the desired result.”

“For the third step, the Atomic Energy Organization (of Iran) must immediately start whatever the country needs technically in the (nuclear) research and development field, and must abandon all commitments under the JCPOA in the field of research and development,” the president said.

He noted that the AEOI is ordered to rapidly expand the research and development regarding various types of centrifuge machines and whatever is necessary for uranium enrichment.