Europe’s stance on JCPOA different from that of US: Iran official

A senior Iranian official says European countries oppose the United States’ moves in violation of the 2015 nuclear agreement and pursue a different stance on the deal.

“The policy adopted by Europe, including the Netherlands, on the nuclear issue is different from the policy of the United States of America,” Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, said on Sunday.

Velayati made the remarks while speaking to reporters after a meeting in Tehran with a senior member of Netherland’s House of Representatives Raymond Knops and his accompanying delegation.

He added that European countries did not accept the US violation of the international nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and would remain committed to the accord.

The senior Iranian official noted that members of the Dutch parliamentary delegation criticized the US failure to remain committed to the JCPOA and reiterated their country’s full commitment to the agreement.

US President Donald Trump delivered an anti-Iran speech on October 13, in which he said he would not be certifying Iran’s compliance with the terms of the JCPOA under a domestic American law.

While Trump did not pull Washington out of the JCPOA, he gave the US Congress 60 days to decide whether to reimpose economic sanctions against Tehran that were lifted under the pact. Reimposing sanctions would put the US at odds with other signatories to the accord and the European Union.

Speaking at a nonproliferation conference in Moscow on Saturday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi criticized the United States for preventing Iran from benefiting from the JCPOA, warning that such a move “will have its consequences.”

“This negative atmosphere created by the US administration is in fact violation of the JCPOA, preventing Iran from benefiting from sanctions lifting,” Araqchi said.

Iran warns US on JCPOA violation: There will be costs

A senior Iranian diplomat says the US refusal to allow Iran to benefit from the removal of sanctions constitutes a violation of the 2015 nuclear deal.

In a related development, European Union foreign ministers held a closed-door meeting, chaired by EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, on the best way to proceed on the Iran issue in Luxembourg on October 16. They reaffirmed their support for the historic nuclear agreement and said the accord was working and was a key part of nonproliferation efforts.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Velayati pointed to his talks with the Dutch parliamentarians and said the Netherlands was keen to make investment in Iran.

Noting that Tehran and Amsterdam enjoyed growing relations, he added that the Netherlands sought to improve trade and economic cooperation with Iran.