Spokesman: Iran starts declared nuclear deal modifications

Spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi announced that his country has started implementation of measures as ordered by President Rouhani to modify Tehran's obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal after the Europeans' breach.

"After one year of patience, the Islamic Republic of Iran has started measures within the framework of the nuclear deal for the time being; they are no violation of the nuclear deal and we are actually using the nuclear deal's capacities," Kamalvandi said in an interview with the Arabic-language al-Alam news channel on Monday.

He explained that based on paragraphs 26 and 36 of the nuclear deal, Iran is entitled to stop compliance with a part of or all its undertakings if it is recognized that some of the past sanctions have returned.

Asked about the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency in monitoring Iran's new measures, Kamalvandi said that the IAEA plays the role of an observer and not a judge and it reports what it witnesses.

Washington withdrew from the internationally-endorsed 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, re-imposed the toughest-ever sanctions against the country and started a plan to zero down Tehran's oil sales.

Under the nuclear agreement reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in July 2015, Tehran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions.

In 2018, all the other signatories — Russia, China, Germany, France, the UK, and the EU — refused to follow the US example and confirmed their commitment to the accord, trying to save the deal with the Islamic Republic.

Iranian officials then warned that the European Union’s failure in providing the needed ground for Tehran to enjoy the economic benefits of the nuclear deal would exhaust the country's patience.
Almost a year later, however, the EU failed to provide Tehran with its promised merits.

EA