MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/. Tehran is seeking guarantees of compliance with the nuclear deal from the European states, Iran Supreme Leader's Senior Adviser for international affairs Ali Akbar Velayati said on Sunday, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
"There should be clear European guarantees in order not to turn the deal [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], which limits Tehran’s nuclear developments in exchange for lifting sanctions of the United Nations Security Council and unilateral restrictions introduced by the United States and the European Union, into a unilateral agreement," Velayati said.
"I have no absolute confidence about the European countries’ position without receiving practical guarantees since contradictory statements are suspicious," he said.
According to Velayati, "certain EU members announce their commitment to the nuclear deal and prospects of enhancing economic cooperation with Iran, while others [European countries] say that there is no need to stand against the US." "This contraction cannot but arouse suspicion," he noted.
The Iranian adviser criticized the decision of French oil and gas corporation Total to shelve the contracts, which have been signed. "This is just the theater of absurdity," he said, noting that the French explained their decision by "impossibility to resist the US pressure." "That’s why it is important for Iran to get serious guarantees from Europe," he stressed.
US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that Washington quit the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which curbed Tehran’s nuclear activity in exchange for lifting the UN Security Council’s sanctions and unilateral restrictions introduced by the US and the EU. The White House said that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) provides Iran with opportunities for creating a nuclear bomb by evading all current restrictions. Trump vowed to reinstate the previous sanctions and introduce new restrictions should Tehran carry out its nuclear ambitions. The US president called for signing a new deal with Tehran. Meanwhile, Washington put forward demands, which cannot be implemented.
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Theresa May, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a joint statement calling on all other parties to the JCPOA to stay committed to their liabilities under it. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated that the European Union should guarantee Iran the observance of its interests under the nuclear deal to keep the agreement in force.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the US withdrawal from the JCPOA a violation of the UN Security Council resolution and noted that Russia would seek to keep the agreement in force, despite Washington’s plans to resume the sanctions regime against Tehran.