Ayatollah Jannati questions Iran’s stay in JCPOA amid EU inaction
A senior Iranian religious scholar has censured Europe for dragging its feet on adopting practical measures to save the 2015 multilateral nuclear agreement following the US’s withdrawal, saying he thinks the Islamic Republic will ultimately have to “set fire” to the deal.
“Some imagine they could rely on the Europeans when the US withdraws from the JCPOA,” Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, head of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, said on Thursday, using an acronym for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the official name of the nuclear accord.
“The Europeans are however dragging their feet and would do nothing in our interest,” he added. “The Europeans are worse than the Americans. If not, they are not any better.”
He further complained that the officials failed to respect statements by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in June 2016, which came in response to US threats back then to withdraw from the Iran deal.
Jannati’s comments come amid efforts by the European Union to set up the so-called Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), a payment mechanism aimed at facilitating business with Iran irrespective of the US bans.
The 28-nation bloc has come under fire for failing to speed up efforts to launch the SPV, which many analysts view as a question of sovereignty for Europe in the face of the US.
SS
