Europeans must be held accountable for shortcomings on JCPOA: Tehran

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman has slammed the irresponsibility of the three European signatories to the JCPOA agreement with the Islamic Republic, saying they must be held accountable for failing to fulfill their own obligations.

According to Press TV, Nasser Kan'ani made the remarks in a news briefing on Monday, following a recent UN Security Council meeting on Resolution 2231, which endorses the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action).

Kan’ani went on to say that Germany, France & UK avoided fulfilling their obligations within the framework of the deal after the United States unilaterally withdrew from the agreement, adding that despite the promises they made, they could not make up for Washington’s withdrawal.

“We believe European governments are just as responsible as the United States in fulfilling their obligations and should be held accountable for failing to do so,” he said.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman further called on the European signatories to the nuclear deal to adhere to their commitments, instead of making accusations against Iran.

He also said Iran does not accept the West’s allegations, stressing that such actions are unconstructive and will not lead anywhere.

Kan’ani also emphasized that any new sanctions based on baseless claims are completely rejected and Iran reserves its right to respond to any irresponsible action in a timely manner, while denouncing “as a violation of human rights” the unilateral sanctions imposed by the US and its allies on Iran.

US court decision on anti-Iran figure ‘example of banditry’

Kan’ani further slammed a US federal court’s ruling that Iran should pay over $3.3 million in damages to Iranian dissident Masih Alinejad for detaining her brother. Alinejad released the court’s decision in a post on her Twitter account on Sunday.

“We do not accept the American robbery of other countries' property in any way. Americans use their own internal laws to issue orders to other countries and then plunder the countries' resources; this action is completely illegal and violates international laws,” he said.

The Iranian official also said relations between the countries are based on the principle of mutual respect, stressing that the US has never followed this principle regarding Iran and has always committed violations.

Kan’ani stated that Iran basically has no restrictions on mutual communication with different countries based on mutual respect, emphasizing that as long as Washington does not seriously change its behavior and talks to the Iranian nation from a position of supremacy and dominance, basically proposing a review of relations between both sides are meaningless.

Iran-Baku ties returning to normal

Elsewhere in his remarks, Kanaani said Iran and Azerbaijan are currently in a “very good and constructive path” to mend their ties following a recent escalation of tensions.

“The two sides agree to overcome obstacles in the path of bilateral relations and return to normal relations,” he said.

He also said that during Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian’s recent visit to Baku, he held “good and constructive” talks with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.

“The spirit of the conversation and its content showed that we were on the right path,” he added.

On Sunday, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov underlined the importance of relations between Iran and Azerbaijan from Baku’s point of view.

“We highly appreciate the visit of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to Azerbaijan, his participation in the Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement, as well as his meeting with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev during this visit,” he said.

“We see Iran's intention to take serious steps towards resolving disagreements. In this case, Azerbaijan will take adequate and reciprocal steps,” he added.

Amir-Abdollahian arrived in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku on July 5 to take part in the two-day Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

He highlighted Iran's policy of consolidating neighborly relations and its remarkable achievements in the fight against terrorism, during his speech at the NAM Ministerial Meeting.

He also held meetings with Azerbaijan's president and his counterparts from Turkey, Iraq, Malaysia, Sudan, Belarus, Syria, Kuwait and Nicaragua.

His visit came as a shooting incident at Azerbaijan's embassy in Tehran in February led to diplomatic tensions between the two countries. 

ME