Nuclear Deal Still Alive Because of Iran, Not E3: Zarif

“E3 leaders—who rely on signature of OFAC functionaries to carry out their obligations under JCPOA—have done ZILCH to maintain JCPOA,” Zarif tweeted on Sunday.

“Remember [French President] Emmanuel Macron’s stillborn initiative or UK non-payment of court-ordered debt?” he asked.

“JCPOA is alive because of Iran and not E3, Le Drian,” Zarif added, addressing the French foreign minister.

Zarif also posted another tweet, apparently in criticism of Le Drian and his government’s policies.

“Dear colleague: You kick-started your cabinet career with arms sales to Saudi war criminals. Avoid absurd nonsense about Iran,” the Iranian top diplomat said.

“Reality check: YOU are destabilizing OUR region. Stop protecting criminals who chainsaw their critics and use YOUR arms to slaughter children in Yemen,” he added, blasting the West’s support for the Saudi war on Yemen.

Zarif’s comments came after Le Drian accused Iran of building up its “nuclear weapons” capacity.

Le Drian told France’s Journal du Dimanche newspaper that Tehran and Washington must immediately return to the 2015 nuclear agreement.

“The Trump administration chose what it called the maximum pressure campaign on Iran. The result was that this strategy only increased the risk and the threat,”

“This has to stop because Iran and – I say this clearly – is in the process of acquiring nuclear [weapons] capacity.”

Iran has stopped implementing some of its commitments under the nuclear deal in reaction to the other parties’ failure to deliver on their commitments.

Earlier this month the country started pressing ahead with plans to enrich uranium to 20 percent fissile strength at its Fordow nuclear plant. That is the level Tehran achieved before striking the deal with world powers.