Iran Ministry of Foreign Affairs rebuked this Saturday the joint statement from Germany, France, and Britain regarding the efforts to revive Iran’s unclear deal and described the statement as “unconstructive” and “regrettable”.
after Iran sent its response to EU’s ‘final text’ to revive the nuclear deal, it was on this Saturday that France, Britain and Germany said they had “serious doubts” about Iran’s intentions to revive the deal known as the JCPOA.
Describing Iran’s response to the EU coordinator as a step backwards, the three countries noted that Tehran is trying to link the restoration of the nuclear deal with the closure of investigations by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into uranium traces at three sites in Iran.
“This latest demand raises serious doubts as to Iran’s intentions and commitment to a successful outcome on the JCPOA,” the three countries, known as the E3, said in a statement, adding also that “Iran’s position contradicts its legally binding obligations and jeopardizes prospects of restoring the JCPOA.” The E3 countries also noted that Tehran has brought up again problems pertaining to its legally enforceable commitments under the Non-Proliferation Treaty reached with the UN’s nuclear energy watchdog IAEA.
“Given Iran’s failure to conclude the deal on the table, we will consult, alongside international partners, on how best to address Iran’s continued nuclear escalation and lack of cooperation with the IAEA regarding its NPT (non-proliferation treaty) safeguards agreement,” the E3 said.
Similarly, it was earlier this Friday that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Iran’s latest reply on a nuclear deal is a step “backward,” and that Washington would not rush to rejoin a bad deal at any cost. “Iran’s latest response takes us backwards. And we’re not about to agree to a deal that doesn’t meet our bottom-line requirements. If we conclude a deal, it’s only because it will advance our national security.” Blinken said.
Last week on Wednesday, the IAEA also expressed concerns that Iran’s stock of uranium enriched to up to 60%, close to weapons-grade, had grown to enough, if enriched further, for a nuclear bomb and that Tehran had still failed to explain the origin of the uranium particles.
To read between the lines, the IAEA’s Board of Governors meet on this Monday, and it seems three months after adopting a resolution urging Iran to give credible answers to the watchdog on the issue, the European parties to the deal as well as the IAEA itself want to pressure Iran to make more concessions regarding the new nuclear deal.
Iran reacted to the E3 statement
The E3 statement against Iran was immediately and strongly rejected by Tehran as Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said this Saturday evening that the statement was “unconstructive”. He also expressed that “the three European countries are advised to play a more active role in providing solutions to end the few disagreements that remain.”
Regarding the role of Israel in trying to disrupt the negotiations and prevent any new nuclear deal with Iran, Kanaani explained it was regretful that “the three European countries have taken a step in the route of the Zionist regime to defeat the negotiations with this ill-considered remark.”
The European statement was also condemned by Russian Permanent Representative to international organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov, who is also Russia’s envoy to the nuclear talks. Upon the E3 statement, Ulyanov called it on Twitter “very untimely indeed”. He also dismissed the perceived blockage as something that “was not a serious obstacle”.
