EU to Give JCPOA Guarantees to Iran by November: Ex-Minister
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A former Iranian minister announced that the European Union has pledged to give Tehran the practical guarantees that it will reap benefits of the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by November.
“If Europeans want us to stay in the JCPOA, they should fulfill the same obligations that have been imposed on the Western party to the nuclear deal, even without the US,” former Iranian minister of industry, mines, and trade Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh was quoted as saying by the Persian-language website of euronews.
“It's natural that if they do not do so, then there will be no reason for us to stay in this agreement,” he added.
Nematzadeh, who is in Brussels to attend a conference on Iran-EU cooperation, further emphasized that the European countries have said that they would take practical measures to give Iran the needed guarantees for the JCPOA by November.
"The European countries should take measures to ensure that our interests are secured,” he said, adding, “It requires the adoption of some regulations by the EU and its various institutions.”
The remarks came as Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyed Abbas Araqchi said given the vague prospect of the JCPOA, there is a possibility that Tehran leaves the accord in coming weeks.
“I cannot say that the prospect of the continuation of negotiations with Europe is clear and can lead us to achieve a joint package for saving the JCPOA,” he noted.
Iran’s patience has come to an end and it is probable that Iran will withdraw from the JCPOA in the coming weeks, Araqchi stated.
On May 8, the US president pulled his country out of the JCPOA, which was achieved in Vienna in 2015 after years of negotiations among Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).
Following the US exit, Iran and the remaining parties launched talks to save the accord.
Meanwhile, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has underlined that any decision to keep the JCPOA running without the US should be conditional on “practical guarantees” from the Europeans.
