Iran president urges faster, more transparent steps to save JCPOA

President Hassan Rouhani has called on the remaining signatories to the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers to act faster and in a more transparent way to preserve it after the US move to pull out of the agreement.

"Iran has fulfilled all its promises in the JCPOA and, taking into account the unilateral exit of America from this agreement, it [Iran] expects the other sides to speed up their plans to safeguard this agreement and make them more transparent," Rouhani said in a phone call to French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, Press TV reported.

He added that the remaining parties to the JCPOA shoulder a heavy responsibility to save the landmark deal after the US withdrawal.

"Iran wants to preserve the JCPOA, but if the outlook for Europe's practical plans is not clear with respect to giving guarantees on financial and monetary channels, oil sales, insurance and transportation, it will adopt other measures," the Iranian chief executive pointed out.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday that the Islamic Republic is still waiting for Europe's guarantees on the sale of Iranian oil and banking relations.

"The European Union was supposed to carry out some measures, including the preservation of the sale of Iranian oil and the preservation of banking channels, which we are still waiting [for Europe] to do," Zarif said.

The French president, for his part, said Paris would make its utmost efforts to keep the nuclear deal alive and would undertake all its responsibilities under the JCPOA.

Macron added that France and other parties to the nuclear accord have made great efforts to save it after the US withdrawal and are looking for different trade and financial mechanisms in this regard.

Speaking at the US Congress on April 25 on the final day of a three-day state visit, Macron said his country will not leave the Iran nuclear deal amid US efforts to persuade European parties to the agreement to withdraw from it.  

"We signed it, both the United States and France," he said, adding, "We should not abandon it without having something substantial and more substantial instead. That's why France will not leave the JCPOA, because we signed it."

SS