"There isn't a lot of time, considering that on February 21, in accordance with the law adopted by Iran, the country will take the next step toward reducing its obligations, which were accepted voluntarily. It would be good to find some compromise that would help avoid further escalation before that deadline," Ryabkov told a press conference, according to Sputnik.
The priority is to reverse US withdrawal from the JCPOA as well as US sanctions against Iran, the deputy minister said.
"It is probably impossible to do it all at once, but it would be wrong to delay. We are openly telling this to Americans," Ryabkov said.
To avoid arguments over who should act first, it would be reasonable to plan simultaneous actions of Washington and Tehran, Ryabkov added.
After the illegitimate US exit from the JCPOA in May 2018, the three European signatories to the deal remained indifferent to making up for Iran’s losses.
Amid the Europeans’ lack of action, Iran took 5 steps to reduce its commitments to the deal while vowing that it will reverse the course as soon as the other parties live up to their commitments under the accord.
The Iranian parliament passed a bill, dubbed the Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions in early last December, setting a Feb. 21 deadline for Biden to lift the US sanctions. Otherwise, Iran will halt implementing the additional protocol.
Iran has so far resumed 20% uranium enrichment at Fordow plant in accordance with the Parliament’s legislation and has warned that in the case Washington does not remove all the anti-Iran illegitimate sanctions, it will also stop voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol, which gives IAEA inspectors unannounced visits to Iranian facilities.
KI/FNA13991123000329
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