Agreement with Europe unlikely, Iran to announce 3rd step on JCPOA: Rouhani

President Hassan Rouhani says the country and Europe are unlikely to reach an agreement on ways to save a 2015 multilateral nuclear accord, and that Tehran will go ahead with its plan to announce the third step in scaling back its commitments under the accord.

According to Press TV, Rouhani told a cabinet meeting on Wednesday “It is unlikely that we will reach a final agreement with Europe today or tomorrow; therefore, we will take the third step. We will release the details of the third step today and tomorrow and act accordingly.”

The president described the third phase of Iran’s commitment reductions as “highly important in nature,” emphasizing that this would the “most significant step that we take” and would “have extraordinary effects.”

This phase, Rouhani added, will accelerate the activities of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI).

Commenting on a European diplomatic process led by France aimed at saving the Iran deal, Rouhani said “a significant part of differences” between Tehran and Europe have been resolved, but “we have yet to reach a final agreement.”

Rouhani said the European parties to the 2015 Iran deal — France, Britain and Germany — will have two more months to fulfill the contractual obligation to protect Iran against the American sanctions, which returned in place against Iran after Washington left the pact.

Rouhani said “we will hold talks [with Europe] while taking this third step and if we reach a deal, there will still be a way to negotiations, logic and agreement,” the president said.

Iran says it will return into full compliance with the nuclear deal only if it receives $15 billion in France-proposed credit lines for oil sales over four months otherwise the Islamic Republic will continue cutting its deal commitments.

France has been making a last-ditch effort to convince the US to agree on the credit line that guarantees Iran’s oil exports. Paris has said efforts to save the Iran deal hinges on Washington issuing waivers from the sanctions it has re-imposed on Tehran after leaving the nuclear deal.

However, sources told Press TV on Wednesday that France has so far failed to get America’s go-ahead to open the credit line for Iran.

Earlier on Tuesday, Iranian foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described as “regrettable” Europe’s call for the US’s approval for its measures to save the Iran nuclear deal.

ME