Hours after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile has passed the 300 kg limit set by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Kazem Gharibabadi said the Islamic Republic’s measure was in conformity with the articles of the nuclear deal.
He said Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has already made it clear that Tehran has referred to the Articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA to defend its rights.
“It is now Europe’s turn to take serious practical measures to save the JCPOA, if they really care about its fate,” Gharibabadi added, noting that Iran could reverse its decision, provided that the E3 parties fulfill their commitments and guarantee Iran’s oil sale and trade interactions.
Iran has acted transparently in scaling down it JCPOA commitments, he added.
The envoy also expressed the hope that the international community would stand against the US bullying policies and support the JCPOA.
Iran entered the nuclear talks with “goodwill” and carried out its JCPOA commitments completely, he added, pointing to fifteen consecutive reports from the UN nuclear watchdog about Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal ever since it came into force.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced on Monday that the country has increased the level of its low-enriched uranium production to over 300 kilograms.
The move came as part of a decision by the Islamic Republic of Iran to reduce some of its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in reaction to the US violation of its commitments and the Europeans’ failure to live up to their obligations.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) first announced on June 17 that the country would speed up enriching uranium at the level of 3.67% and its stockpiles would exceed the 300kg limit within 10 days.