AEOI: Iran to scale back nuclear commitments in 3rd phase ‘in a month’

The spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, made the announcement while addressing foreign and domestic reporters in Tehran on Monday.

“If the opposite side fails to live up to its commitments in the remaining one month [set as a deadline], the third phase of reducing JCPOA obligations will start as per what the president has previously declared in his capacity as head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council,” Kamalvandi said.

Iran to slash more JCPOA commitments if others fail’Iran’s president says the country will further reduce its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal if other parties to the accord fail to observe theirs.

As previously announced, the AEOI official said, “Iran next steps will lead to suspension of its commitments. Therefore, those commitments are not totally discarded, but are rather suspended and if they (the European signatories to the JCPOA) start to honor their commitments, Tehran will also reciprocate and go back to its obligations.”

Kamalvandi went on to say that the reduction of Iran’s nuclear commitments would mean surpassing a 130-ton limit on heavy water production as well as a 300-kilogram cap on enriched uranium stockpile.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the AEOI spokesman said, “Some countries, including some European states, are living with a fear, which they have to overcome. They are capable of standing up to America and defend their decisions and commitments.”

Since May, Iran has been suspending some of its commitments under the nuclear deal, which was clinched between the country and the P5+1 group of states — the US, the UK, France, Russia, China, plus Germany — in Vienna in 2015.

Tehran has rowed back on its nuclear commitments twice in compliance with articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA.

Iran to take ‘third step’ to reduce nuclear commitmentsIran’s top diplomat says under the “current circumstances”, Iran will further reduce its commitments under the JCPOA nuclear deal.

Iran says its reciprocal measures will be reversible as soon as Europe finds practical ways to shield the Iranian economy from unilateral US sanctions which were imposed last year when President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal.

European signatories of the JCPOA have so far failed to uphold their commitments. They have expressed vocal support for the deal, but failed to provide meaningful economic incentives as required under the nuclear agreement.

The Europeans have already missed a 60-day deadline set by Tehran, prompting Iran to go for the second phase of cutting its commitments on July 7, which marked the start of a second such deadline for them.

As a first step, Iran increased its enriched uranium stockpile to beyond the 300 kilograms set by the JCPOA.

In the second step, Tehran began enriching uranium to purity rates beyond the JCPOA-limit of 3.76 percent.

Iran has warned that it may push forward with 20% uranium enrichment and resume previous activities at the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor in a third nuclear commitment containment.