Tehran on Monday accused Britain, France, and Germany of failing to uphold their commitments under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, following recent threats by the trio to reimpose sanctions over Iran’s advancing atomic programme.
The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed by Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, the United States, Britain, China, France, and Russia, along with Germany, was designed to limit Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
However, the agreement began to unravel after the United States, under President Donald Trump, unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 and reimposed sweeping economic sanctions on Iran.
While the European signatories initially pledged continued support for the deal, efforts to shield Iran from the impact of renewed U.S. sanctions faltered.
The much-touted financial mechanisms failed to take effect, prompting a mass exodus of Western firms from Iran and exacerbating its economic crisis.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei criticised the European powers on Monday, saying, “The European parties have been at fault and negligent in implementing the nuclear agreement.”
Baqaei’s comments came amid mounting pressure from Europe.
In recent weeks, Britain, France, and Germany have threatened to trigger the UN “snapback” mechanism, a provision that allows for the reimposition of sanctions if Iran is found to be in breach of the deal.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported that Iran is now enriching uranium to 60 percent purity, far above the 3.67 percent cap set by the JCPOA and just short of the 90 percent level required for nuclear weapons development.
Baqaei dismissed the European threat as “meaningless, unjustifiable and immoral,” insisting that Iran’s rollback of its commitments came only after sustained Western non-compliance.
“Iran’s reduction of its commitments was carried out in accordance with the provisions outlined in the agreement,” he said, reiterating that Tehran had acted within the JCPOA’s framework in response to U.S. withdrawal and the European failure to deliver on their obligations.
