Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani says the Islamic Republic will not wait for Europe’s dateless promises, urging European countries to “explicitly and swiftly” announce their decisions about a key 2015 nuclear agreement after the US pullout.
Addressing an open session of the Iranian parliament on Sunday, Larijani added that Iranian authorities are prudently following up on the nation’s demands, noting, however, that time is running out for negotiations with Europe on the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
He said if Europe thinks that it is capable of saving the nuclear agreement, it should declare its decision explicitly and swiftly.
“Otherwise, the Islamic Republic of Iran will take next steps either in the nuclear field or other issues,” the top Iranian parliamentarian pointed out.
US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that Washington was walking away from the nuclear agreement, which was reached between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China – plus Germany.
Trump also said he would reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose “the highest level” of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.
Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.
In separate letters to his counterparts in various countries, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said all members of the international community must stand up to US law-breaking behavior, bullying and disregard for the rule of law after Washington announced it was withdrawing from the landmark nuclear deal Iran.
The Iranian foreign minister says the international community must stand up to US law-breaking behavior and bullying.
“Illegal withdrawal of the US government from the JCPOA, especially bullying methods used by this government to bring other governments in line, has discredited the rule of law and international law at international level while challenging the goals and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and efficiency of international bodies,” the Iranian foreign minister said.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also said late last month that the bloc is determined to save the multilateral nuclear agreement despite the United States’ move to withdraw from the deal.
She added, “You know that we have been acting already at European Union level to put in place a set of measures to make sure that the nuclear agreement is preserved and the economic investments from the European side, but also from other sides in the world are protected.”
Israeli PM seeks another crisis in region
The Iranian parliament speaker also condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempts to get the three European governments on board with the US to scuttle the nuclear deal.
“It seems that after terrorists’ defeat in Iraq and Syria, the [Israeli] regime seeks to create another crisis in the Middle East in order to cover up the regime’s domestic and foreign problems,” Larijani said.
The regime in Israel has lobbied for European countries to follow the example of the US president and pull out of the nuclear accord and to force European firms to pull out of Iran.
The Israeli prime minister made a three-day trip to Germany, France and Britain earlier this month and held talks with leaders of the three European signatories to the JCPOA.
