DUBAI: Iran’s nuclear chief said on Sunday the European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal have failed to fulfil their commitments under the pact, a day after Tehran announced further breaches of limits on its nuclear activity set by the pact. The deal curbed Iran’s disputed nuclear programme in exchange for relief from sanctions, but has unravelled since the United States withdrew last year and acted to strangle Iran’s oil exports to push it into a broader security agreement.
France, Germany and Britain have tried to launch a barter trade mechanism with Iran protecting it from US sanctions but have struggled to get it off the ground, and Tehran on Wednesday set a 60-day deadline for effective European action. “Unfortunately the European parties have failed to fulfil their commitments... The deal is not a one-way street and Iran will act accordingly as we have done so far by gradually downgrading our commitments,” said Ali Akbar Salehi, Director of Iran’s nuclear energy agency.
“Iran will continue to reduce its nuclear commitments as long as the other parties fail to carry out their commitments,” Salehi said, speaking after meeting the acting head of the UN nuclear watchdog (IAEA), Cornel Feruta, in Tehran on Sunday. Feruta, whose inspectors monitor Tehran’s nuclear programme, also met Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif who told him that Iran’s breaches were permitted under Paragraph 36 of the nuclear accord, the semi-official Fars news agency reported. Iranian officials say the paragraph allows one party to the deal to cut its commitments if others do not live up to theirs. — Reuters
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