TEHRAN —
Iran’s foreign ministry on Saturday described as “unconstructive” and
“regrettable” a joint statement issued by Germany, France, and Britain about
negotiations aimed at reviving a 2015 nuclear deal.
اضافة اعلان
“It is surprising
and regrettable that, in a situation where diplomatic interactions and
exchanges of messages are continuing ... to finalize the negotiations,” the
three European parties would issue such an “unconstructive” statement, Iran’s
foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said.
The remarks came
after the trio raised “serious doubts” about Iran’s sincerity in seeking a
revived nuclear agreement and warned that the Islamic republic’s position was
jeopardizing the prospects of reaching a deal.
“The three
European countries are advised to play a more active role to provide a solution
to end the few remaining disagreements instead of entering the phase of
destroying the diplomatic process,” Kanani said.
The three
European parties to the deal said Saturday that Tehran “has chosen not to seize
this critical diplomatic opportunity”, adding that “instead, Iran continues to
escalate its nuclear program way beyond any plausible civilian justification”.
Tehran has also
reopened issues related to its legally binding obligations under the Non
Proliferation Treaty that was concluded with the UN atomic energy watchdog
IAEA, they added.
Kanani said it
was “regrettable that the three European countries have taken a step in the
path of the
Zionist regime to defeat the negotiations with this ill-considered
statement,” referring to Israel, the Islamic republic’s arch-foe and a staunch
opponent of the deal.
“If such an
approach continues, they must also accept responsibility for its results,” he
said.
The 2015
agreement, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA,
gave Iran sanctions relief in return for restricting its nuclear program.
But in 2018, then
president Donald Trump withdrew the US from the deal and began reimposing
biting sanctions, prompting Tehran to roll back on its commitments under the
agreement.
The negotiations in
Vienna since April 2021 have aimed to restore the deal by lifting the sanctions
on Tehran once again and pushing Iran to fully honor its obligations.
Last month, the
EU, which acts as the mediator of the talks, put forward a “final” draft of the
agreement.
Iran and the US
then took turns to respond to the text, with Washington saying on Friday that
Iran’s latest reply was a step “backwards”.
Kanani said
Saturday that “threats and sanctions” would not “prevent the Iranian people
from pursuing their rights and securing their interests.”
Read more Region and World
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
