The French, German and British Foreign Ministers expressed their deep concern on Tuesday 6 July about the latest report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which confirms that Iran has started the necessary steps to produce enriched uranium metal.
According to the IAEA, Tehran intends to “produce uranium metal with an enrichment level of 20%”.
“This constitutes a serious violation by Iran of its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)”, the three ministers said in a joint statement.
They called on Tehran to cease “without delay” all activities it is pursuing in violation of the JCPOA and to resume negotiations in Vienna with the aim of reaching an early conclusion. No date has been set for a resumption of these negotiations, after six rounds of talks.
In addition, Iran has substantially reduced the IAEA’s access by disengaging from the JCPOA’s verification and monitoring arrangements and ceasing to implement the Additional Protocol. “With these latest steps, Iran is putting at risk the possibility of successfully concluding the Vienna talks”, the Europeans warned.
The US also expressed concern, adding that these latest Iranian actions will not give Iran any leverage in the negotiations. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)