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Iran raps US, EU, E3 over JCPOA status quo
‘Constructive’ dialogue only option to revive nuclear deal
During a UN Security Council meeting on the implementation of the deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and UNSC Resolution 2231 which endorses the agreement, Amir Saeid Iravani said pressures and intimidation are “non-starters” and the only option to revive the deal is “constructive” dialogue.
Iravani added that Iran got engaged in nine rounds of negotiations in Vienna and was willing to revive the deal based on the understanding reached in August 2022, but the United States, E3, and the European Union “lacked sincerity and determination” for its reimplementation.
“Their failure to live up to their commitments regarding the removal of sanctions … is among the examples of their non-compliance,” he noted.
Iravani said the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany, are attempting in vain to shift the blame to Iran, disregarding the underlying and primary cause of the current situation, which is the “unilateral and unlawful withdrawal” of the United States from the deal in 2018.
According to Iravani, the E3’s failure to honor their commitments on the removal of sanctions, specified in paragraph 20 of Annex V of the JCPOA on Transition Day (18 October 2023) is a clear example of their non-compliance, which violates both the JCPOA and UNSC Resolution 2231.
“Instead, they mounted a smear campaign against my country, a modus operandi [of the West]; however, repeating lies over and over again does not transform them into a truth.”
He explained that the JCPOA was “not perfect” but it still remains “the best viable option.”
He said Iran has time and again said it had to scale back its JCPOA commitments in response to the US’s unlawful withdrawal from the deal and the Europeans’ lack of success in upholding their commitments.
“The remedial measures are in full conformity with Iran’s rights under paragraphs 26 and 36 of the JCPOA, according to which, in the case of re-instatement or re-imposition of sanctions by the US or the EU, Iran is entitled to either partly or completely stop fulfilling its commitments.”
Iravani said Iran’s remedial measures were “inevitable” because the JCPOA was drawn up based on a series of nuclear commitments made by Iran in return for the removal of all sanctions imposed by the UN, the US, and the EU.
Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres also called for all parties to the nuclear deal to pursue all available avenues for dialogue and cooperation.
During the meeting, Malta’s Ambassador to the UN and Security Council Facilitator for the implementation of resolution 2231, Vanessa Frazier, encouraged the international community to take actions to fully support the implementation of the JCPOA.