“In response to US persistent violations and unlawful withdrawal from the nuclear deal, as instructed by President Rouhani, I’ll spearhead a diplomatic effort to examine whether remaining JCPOA participants can ensure its full benefits for Iran,” Zarif noted on Tuesday in a post on his Twitter.
“Outcome will determine our response,” he added.
His comments came shortly after President Hassan Rouhani told the Iranian nation in a live address that he has “ordered the foreign ministry to start talks with other parties to the nuclear deal within the coming weeks.”
“After these talks, if we are assured that we can achieve all we wanted from the deal through cooperation with other parties, JCPOA will remain in place,” he noted.
He also warned that the country could resume industrial-level uranium enrichment if other parties fail to convince Tehran to remain in the deal.
“We’ll wait for a few more weeks to restart our program. Everything depends on our national interests,” he added.
Trump on Tuesday announced that he is pulling the US out of the nuclear deal as what he called the “flaws” of the JCPOA were not fixed. He also declared that the US nuclear sanctions on Iran, which had been suspended under the deal, will be restored and even further and harsher bans will be imposed if Iran refuses to stop its “destabilizing” policies and actions.
After the announcement, European countries strongly slammed and expressed regret over the move.
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a tweet that “France, Germany, and the UK regret the US decision to leave the JCPOA. The nuclear non-proliferation regime is at stake.”
EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini also told a briefing on Tuesday night that she is “worried by the announcement of new sanctions.”
“I will consult with all our partners in the coming hours and days to assess their implications. The European Union is determined to act in accordance with its security interests and to protect its economic investments.”
She also urged the Iranian nation and government to not let anyone dismantle the nuclear deal, vowing that “the European Union is determined to act in accordance with its security interests and to protect its economic investments.”
