Spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, said Wednesday that “based on the rule of taking a proper countermeasure in implementation of the JCPOA, what we decide to do depends on the way the other signatories to the JCPOA comply with their commitments. We can’t keep complying with ours when they don’t do anything in practice.”
He went on to add, “our message is clear. Their behavior conveys that they either do not wish to comply with their commitments or are unable to do so; in either case, we will act according to the directives of the Leader of Revolution and our parliamentary laws.”
“Our measures are being taken on a regular and consecutive basis. There is no reversibility. The only way for us to resume our suspended commitments is if all the remaining sides to the JCPOA have lived up to theirs,” Kamalvandi said.
“What matters is that we are creating a balance between our commitments and our rights. If they recognize our rights which is the removal of sanctions under the JCPOA, then we will implement our commitments. Otherwise, we will reduce our commitments to create a balance,” he added.
On May 8, exactly a year after the US pulled out from the JCPOA, Iran revealed countermeasures to US’ withdrawal, giving the other remaining parties to the JCPOA 60 days to comply with their commitments, particularly those regarding Iran’s economic interests in the banking and energy sectors, before reducing portions of its own commitments to the agreement stage by stage.
Iran says its decision to reduce commitments to the JCPOA, given the current status of the deal, is within its rights under the agreement.
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