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This financial mechanism is ineffective in decreasing the pressure of sanctions on Iran`s oil exports and our country will remain under the siege for exporting its oil because Europe is not committed to buy oil from Iran despite enjoying high benefits from INSTEX. Hassan Maleki. a university professor and political analyst. told FNA.
He noted that INSTEX is no way an option to bypass the US sanctions against Iran. and said. It is the US which is deciding about Europe`s strategies within the framework of INSTEX and the Europeans do no move against the US desire.
Maleki called on the Iranian officials to put into effect their phased plan to modify the country`s nuclear deal undertakings. saying that the country`s maximum restraint strategy which gave a year-long chance to Europe to implement the INSTEX has been enough.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif declared on Monday that Tehran`s stockpile of 3.67% enriched uranium had exceeded the 300kg limit stated in the nuclear deal. stressing that Iran would continue modification of its undertakings if the Europeans failed to meet the country`s demands.
As far as I know. Iran has exceeded the 300kg limit according to the timeline and we had also earlier announced this issue and clearly stated which measures we will adopt as our rights based on the nuclear deal. Zarif told reporters in Tehran.
He noted that the Europeans had not taken sufficient steps and therefore. Iran would continue modification of its nuclear deal undertakings. adding that the first stage of modifications which dealt with enriched uranium and heavy water stockpile is underway.
The next stage which has been declared pertains to the 3.67% limit which will come into effect in the second phase. Zarif said.
Asked about the needed measures to confront the US decision to sanction the INSTEX. he said. This is the problem of the Europeans. They themselves should solve this problem.
INSTEX is meaningless without Europe`s implementation of its other undertakings. The Europeans should act upon their undertakings to guarantee Iran`s oil sales. transportation. return of Iran`s assets and revenues of crude sales. Zarif said.
An informed source earlier on Monday told FNA that Iran`s 3.67%-enriched uranium stockpile had passed the 300 kilogram limit stated in the nuclear deal as part of Iran`s measures to modify its undertakings under the agreement in response to the US abrogation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and Europeans` inaction in complying with their obligations.
After measuring Iran`s enriched materials last Wednesday. inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) weighed them again today and (said that) Iran`s stockpile has exceeded 300kg. the source said on Monday.
Late last month. Spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi said that Iran had already quadrupled its capacity of uranium production. warning that the country would breach the limit of 300 kilograms set in the landmark nuclear deal of 2015. officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). by ten days.
He warned then that if the Europeans fail to meet Iran’s demands. Tehran would even further speed up its operations for enriching uranium.
For Europeans. there is still time. but if they are asking for more time. it means that whether they are incompetent or they are unwilling to deliver on their commitments. underlined the second man in command in the AEOI.
When the two objectives are accomplished based on the first step defined in the announcement of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC). the second step (i.e. enriching uranium above 3.7 percent level of purity) will take nothing more than 2 to 3 days. he underlined.
If it is important for European countries to save the JCPOA. they have to make their efforts because the moves undertaken by the Islamic Republic are completely within the framework of the JCPOA. Kamalvandi stressed.
The Islamic Republic of Iran. after its one-year strategic patience in the face of the violation of its JCPOA rights. the US unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA. and sanctions against selling its enriched uranium and heavy water. undertook these two measures and gave this 60-day grace to other signatory states which will be snapped back if Iran’s JCPOA rights are observed. otherwise Tehran will announce its second round of measures at the end of the 60-day ultimatum. he warned.
Also. Secretary of Iran`s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani wrote in a memo for FNA last Tuesday that his country would further modify its nuclear deal undertakings on July 7 given the European states` inaction to save the internationally-endorsed agreement and the United States` increasing sanctions.
Based on a decision by the SNSC. the second step to modify Iran`s nuclear deal undertakings will seriously start within the framework of paragraphs 26 and 36 of the nuclear deal. he highlighted.
He affirmed that the new steps will make the countries which had mistaken Iran`s patience with weakness and inaction aware that Iran`s reaction to the deceptive political attempts to restrict the inalienable rights of the Iranian people is no different from its response to the US drone`s violation of its aerial borders.
Shamkhani blasted Europe for not paying any price to save the nuclear deal and its pleasure with the US pressures against Iran. and said the recent statement by the three European states and US President Donald Trump`s game of sanctions are the two sides of the same coin. whose incentives are being displayed more than ever after a year of useless talks with Europe.
His comments came after Zarif said that the European countries’ procrastination in operationalizing the long-promised INSTEX. the bloc’s financial mechanism to bypass the US unilateral sanctions against Tehran. showed that they had neither the power nor the will to abide by their commitments under the nuclear deal.
Zarif said that the INSTEX was a preliminary step of the European members of the nuclear deal to partially deliver on their commitments.
He added that even if the mechanism was fully put into practice it would not mean that the European Union and its members had completely met their undertakings stipulated in the Iran deal of 2015. also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). or what they promised Tehran to do and compensate for after the unilateral withdrawal of Washington from the agreement.
The extended delay to implement the INSTEX shows that Europeans are neither capable nor willing to undertake any measure. the Iranian top diplomat reiterated. adding. Accordingly. we will keep doing what we announced to do under the article 36 of the JCPOA. However. whenever Europeans believed that they have to pay the price for preserving their security and take a move. we will snap back. as we have already announced.
The Iranian diplomatic chief went on saying that currently Europeans had enough reasons to take action and admit that they would face consequences of not honoring their commitments if they don’t abide by their undert
