Zarif: Iran to Take 3rd Step on JCPOA, Continue Talks Too
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s top diplomat said Tehran will definitely take the third step in reducing commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal if the European parties fail to act on their commitments by Thursday, but will keep on negotiations afterwards to give them a chance to honor the agreement.
Speaking to reporters upon arrival in Bangladesh on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said, “If the Europeans do not take the necessary measures to carry out their commitments (to the JCPOA) by Thursday, we will definitely take the third step.”
He also noted that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will soon announce the details of the third step.
However, Zarif added, Iran’s third step would not mean an end to the negotiations. “We have made it clear in the (Supreme National) Security Council’s statement that we will keep on negotiations, and as soon as the other party begins to honor its commitments, we will also halt the activities we have begun under the Article 36 of the JCPOA.”
Tehran has scaled back its nuclear commitments twice in compliance with articles 26 and 36 of the 2015 deal, after the US scrapped the agreement in May 2018 and the European parties (the UK, France, and Germany) failed to ensure Iran’s economic interests.
Iran maintains that all the measures are reversible, provided that the other parties fulfill their commitments.
