"I’m not ruling out that some of our partners want Iran to make a mistake and declare certain steps that are not in line with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," Lavrov said, adding, "Then, someone in the West would breathe easily and shun the responsibility with a clean conscience."
Warning that such measures would "be very regrettable," Lavrov said he expects that Europe will be committed to the UN Security Council’s resolutions.
"As far as the prospects of preserving the JCPOA are concerned, here a lot depends on the Europeans,” The Russian foreign minister stressed.
On May 8, 2018, the United States unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA and reimposed a number of economic sanctions on Iran, seeking to fully halt its oil exports.
Following the US move, European signatories of the nuclear deal claimed they were trying to keep the accord alive by launching a trade mechanism called Instrument for Supporting Trade Exchanges (INSTEX). However, the long-awaited mechanism is yet to become operational.
Getting tired of the inaction by the European parties the deal in the face of the growing US pressure, Iran reduced its commitments under the deal on May 8, giving the five remaining parties to the nuclear deal a 60-day ultimatum to comply with their commitments, particularly those regarding Iran’s economic interests in the banking and energy sectors.
Tehran has warned the EU that it would consider leaving the accord after 60 days if its demands were not met.
MNA/TASS
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