JCPOA malfunctioning, Iran not to shoulder it on its own: UN envoy

Iran’s permanent ambassador to the United Nations has warned that a 2015 nuclear deal signed between the country and global powers, known as the JCPOA, is not functioning properly because parties to the deal have not done enough to save it since the United States pulled out of the agreement in May 2018.

“Since the US withdrew from the JCPOA, the Europeans have not done anything tangible, meaning it is malfunctioning,” said Majid Takht-Ravanchi in a briefing with journalists in New York on Saturday.

“We cannot continue to carry out our obligations under JCPOA single-handedly and not to benefit from it,” said the senior diplomat.

The comments come amid rising tensions on Iran’s nuclear case as the country has threatened to stop abiding by the JCPOA, an agreement signed in 2015 with six major powers which was supposed to lift sanctions on Tehran in return for curbing its nuclear program.

Iran notified parties to the JCPOA last month that it will resume its uranium enrichment if they fail to come up with a practical solution to keep it functioning.

Iran has specifically been critical of a financial mechanism launched by Britain, France and Germany to circumvent US sanctions on Iran, saying the initiative, known as Instex, has failed to defuse US restrictions on trade with Iran.

Takht-Ravanchi said Instex, which is supposed to settle payments between European exporters and importers dealing with Iran, was not doing enough to allay Iran’s concerns, insisting that the Europeans have failed to provide enough credit to keep the scheme running.

“This mechanism without money is like a very beautiful car which has run out of fuel,” said Takht Ravanchi, adding, “Personally, I think Instex does not suffice in (its) current condition.”