Iran Runs Out of Strategic Patience: Araqchi

Araqchi who is in Vienna to attend the JCPOA joint commission said the remaining signatories have not yet compensated Iran for the losses it sustained after the US unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal.

“Over the past year, Iran has exercised strategic patience and provided the remaining signatories to the JCPOA particularly the European sides with enough time and ample diplomatic chance to fulfil their commitments under the accord but it never achieved an appropriate result,” he noted.

The Iranian diplomat added the strategic patience of Iran is getting over and Iran will never put up any more with the other sides’ reluctance to fulfil their commitments under the deal.

“We can’t abide by the deal in the current situation in which we live up to our commitments while the other sides refrain from keeping their pledges,” he concluded.

The EU has vowed to design a special financial mechanism also known as the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX) to keep its economic ties with Iran normal after the US withdrawal from the JCPOA. But, one year on, the mechanism has not yet become operational and it’s not clear whether or not the mechanism could meet Iran’s expectations.

Iran has given the European Union a two-month deadline saying it will begin scaling down its commitments under the nuclear accord after the period, which started on May 8.