MOSCOW, July 7. /TASS/. In a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani blamed European partners for the decision to suspend some of his country's obligations under the nuclear deal, the Al-Mayadeen TV reported.
"The European Union should act in compliance with its obligations stemming from international agreements and UN resolutions," the Iranian leader said.
In the phone conversation with Macron, the Iranian leader described the US pressure on his country as "terrorism and economic warfare."
According to Rouhani, Iran’s latest moves "do not go beyond the nuclear deal and do not constitute a breach of the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear program]." However, he said that Tehran will review its policies only after all sanctions against Iran are lifted.
According to Al Mayadeen, in response the French leader called upon all sides to take measures to save the JCPOA deal.
"The termination of the nuclear deal will become a collective defeat, and this will be very sad," the channel quoted Macron as saying.
The French leader also reiterated that from the very outset, the European Union objected Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from the agreement.
In a statement released by the Elysee Palace and quoted by AFP, Macron "expressed his serious concern by the risk of weakening the treaty and the consequences that may follow" during his conversation with Rouhani.
During the conversation, which lasted more than an hour, Macron said he was determined "to examine by July 15 the terms for resuming dialogue with all sides."
"In the coming days, the president of the Republic will continue his consultations with the Iranian authorities and international partners concerned in order to achieve the required reduction of tensions over the Iranian nuclear program," AFP quoted the statement as saying.
Earlier on Saturday, Ali Akbar Velayati, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's senior adviser on international affairs, said that his country was planning to launch the next round of measures to respond to Europe’s non compliance with its nuclear deal obligations. According to him, the Islamic Republic would start enriching uranium to 5% since July 7. In his words, "this steps is in line with the interests of the Iranian nuclear energy sector development."
The Fars news agency earlier reported that Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister and chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi will officially announce the second round of reductions in its JCPOA commitments at a news conference in Tehran on Sunday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported on Monday that Iran had surpassed the 300-kg low-enriched uranium limit stipulated by the nuclear deal. IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano presented the report to the agency’s Board of Governors. The session of the IAEA Board of Governors regarding the Iran nuclear program will take place on July 10.
Iranian nuclear deal
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed between Iran and six international mediators (the United Kingdom, Germany, China, Russia, the United States, and France) on July 14, 2015. On January 16, 2016, the parties to the deal announced the beginning of its implementation. Under the deal, Iran undertook to curb its nuclear activities and place them under total control of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in exchange of abandonment of the sanctions imposed previously by the United Nations Security Council, the European Union and the United States over its nuclear program.
On May 8, 2018, US President Donald Trump announced Washington’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal as it, in his words, leaves Iran a possibility to create a nuclear bomb bypassing all the restrictions. He promised to reinstate the former anti-Iranian sanctions and impose tighter ones. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reiterated his country’s commitment to the deal, saying Teheran will continue to implement its liabilities. He called on the European Union to guarantee observance of its interests to keep the deal in place.
On May 8, 2019, Rouhani announced that Tehran would partially suspend its obligations under the JCPOA. The Iranian side claims that members to the deal, primarily representatives of Europe, fail to honor their economic obligations under the deal. Rouhani added that other parties had 60 days to honor their commitments under the JCPOA. The deadline is July 8.