Europe bigwigs raise serious doubts on Iran’s nuclear deal intentions

PARIS

France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have raised serious doubts over Iran’s intentions to revive the 2015 nuclear deal and called upon Tehran to urgently “cooperate in good faith,” according to a joint statement released on Saturday.

The three European countries are at the forefront to bring Iran and the United States together on the table to restore the deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), from which the US withdrew in 2018 under the Trump administration.

They blamed Tehran for not taking "advantage of the decisive diplomatic opportunity,” after a set of final texts, allowing Iran to return and respect its commitments under the JCPOA was presented in August, after a year-and-a-half of negotiations.

“Instead, Iran has continued to expand its nuclear program far beyond any plausible civilian justification,” the statement said.

They also noted Tehran’s “position is inconsistent with its legally binding international obligations and jeopardizes the prospects of restoring the JCPOA.”

The statement said Iran has “reopened separate issues, related to its legally binding international obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and its safeguards agreement under the NPT concluded with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).”

It also claimed that Tehran has not taken any action on the IAEA’s resolution in June asking it to explain the presence of uranium particles found at three undeclared sites in 2019.

The three countries said they will have international consultations on the ways to respond to Iran's continued nuclear escalation and lack of cooperation with the IAEA under its deal. “Iran must fully and without delay cooperate in good faith with the IAEA,” the statement said.