Iran slams UK, France, Germany over threat to reinstate sanctions

Iran has accused the United Kingdom, France, and Germany of violating the 2015 nuclear agreement following their recent threats to reimpose sanctions over Tehran’s atomic activities.

The 2015 accord, signed by Iran and six world powers — the UK, US, China, France, Russia, and Germany — placed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme in return for economic relief.

However, the deal began to fall apart in 2018 after the United States, under then-President Donald Trump, pulled out unilaterally and reinstated tough sanctions on Iran.

While the European signatories had vowed to uphold the agreement, their efforts to shield Iran from US sanctions through a special financial mechanism failed, prompting many Western companies to withdraw from the Iranian market.

The result has been a worsening economic situation for the Islamic Republic.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei criticised the European countries on Monday, blaming them for neglecting their responsibilities under the deal.

“The European parties have been at fault and negligent in implementing” the nuclear agreement, Baqaei said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported that Iran is now the only non-nuclear-armed nation enriching uranium up to 60 percent purity, significantly higher than the 3.67 percent limit stipulated in the 2015 agreement and just below the 90 percent needed for a nuclear weapon.

In recent weeks, the three European countries have threatened to activate the UN snapback mechanism, a clause that would automatically reinstate sanctions, citing Iran’s alleged violations.

But Baqaei dismissed the move, calling it “meaningless, unjustifiable and immoral,” and insisted that Iran only began stepping back from its obligations after the West failed to meet its end of the bargain.

“Iran’s reduction of its commitments was carried out in accordance with the provisions outlined in the agreement,” he added.