The German, British and French (E3) Foreign Ministers and the US Secretary of State warned Iran on Thursday 18 February against its decision to restrict access by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to non-nuclear facilities from 21 February, if the United States does not lift its sanctions.
Inspectors would no longer be able to verify military sites suspected of harbouring nuclear activities.
Iran should not “take any additional steps, in particular with respect to the suspension of the Additional Protocol and to any limitations on IAEA verification activities in Iran”, the Ministers and the Secretary of State said in a statement following a videoconference between European and American officials. The latter noted that they are “united in underlining the dangerous nature of a decision to limit IAEA access”, calling on Tehran to consider the consequences of such a “grave action”, especially at this “this time of renewed diplomatic opportunity” in reference to the American side.
The Europeans and the American also explain their concern about the measures recently taken by Iran to produce uranium enriched to 20% and uranium metal. “These activities have no credible civil justification. Uranium metal production is a key step in the development of a nuclear weapon”, they warn. The Ministers and the Secretary of State said their “shared objective ” is to see Iran return to full compliance with its commitments under the agreement.
According to the statement, the US Secretary of State reiterated the Biden Administration’s position at their meeting: if Iran returns to strict compliance with its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the United States will do the same. They are ready to enter into discussions with Iran in order to achieve this.
Ministers also affirm their great interest in continuing their consultations and dialogue, including with China and Russia, on the nuclear agreement. Via Twitter, the Political Director of the European External Action Service, Enrique Mora, expressed his willingness to invite participants from the JCPOA and the United States to an informal meeting to discuss the way forward. “The JCPOA is at a critical moment”, he warned. However, a senior European official said on 19 February that for the moment no formal invitation had been issued, adding that the EU was in contact with the various partners to see if such a meeting was possible.
Charles Michel underlines his commitment to the JCPOA
The President of the European Council, for his part, spoke on the telephone with the Iranian President, Hassan Rohani, on Thursday 18 February. Stressing the importance the EU attaches to the full implementation of the JCPOA, Mr Michel expressed concern in a statement about Iranian actions that conflict with the commitments made and recalled the importance of continuing cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency. In his view, the preservation of a diplomatic space, underpinned by positive measures, is crucial at this stage.
For Iran, the EU must respect its commitments.
The Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, blamed the EU. “Instead of using sophistry and putting onus on Iran, the E3 and EU must abide by their own commitments and demand an end to Trump’s legacy of economic terrorism against Iran”, he explained on Twitter. According to him, Iran’s “remedial measures “ are a response to violations of the agreement by the E3 and the United States. “Remove the cause if you fear the effect. We’ll follow action with action”, he warned.
The Iranian nuclear issue is expected to be discussed quickly at the Foreign Affairs Council on 22 February (see other news).
See the statement: http://bit.ly/2M3OplH (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)