BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 29. Western countries
want to use the nuclear issue for political purposes to put
pressure on an independent country like Iran, President of Iran
Ebrahim Raisi said, Trend reports.
“The International Atomic Energy Agency has stated 15 times that
Iran’s nuclear program is not abnormal, but Western countries want
to use the nuclear issue for political purposes to put pressure on
an independent country like Iran. Anyway, we didn’t leave the
negotiating table to give them a reason, but they left the
negotiating table, and then came back,” he said.
He noted that it was Europe and the US that have not fulfilled
their obligations in regard with the nuclear program.
Raisi added that Iran has not failed the negotiations and the
action plan, and is also actively working on another front, which
is the neutralization of sanctions.
On January 16, 2016, Iran’s nuclear program triggered the
creation of the JCPOA between Iran and the P5+1 group (US, Russia,
China, UK, France, and Germany). In May 2018, the US announced its
withdrawal from the deal and imposed sanctions on Iran in November
of the same year. To preserve the agreements reached as part of the
JCPOA, the European signatories of the deal started in January 2019
and a financial mechanism for maintaining trade with Iran called
INSTEX was formed.
On May 8, 2019, Iran announced ceasing to fulfill its
commitments regarding the sale of over 300 kilograms of uranium, as
stated in the deal, basing its decision on the other signatories
that have not fulfilled their obligations.
On July 7, Iran announced that it would not be fulfilling its
commitments regarding the enrichment of uranium at 3.67 percent and
the reconstruction of the Arak Heavy Water Reactor Facility as
stated in the deal.
On September 5 of the same year, Iran announced its commitment
to enrich uranium using next-generation centrifuges and not mix it
with the enriched uranium residues as part of the third step of
reducing commitments in the JCPOA.
On November 5, 2019, Iran announced that it had taken the fourth
step in connection with reducing its commitments to the nuclear
agreement. So, uranium gas is being pumped to the centrifuges at
the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant.
On January 5, 2020, Iran took the last fifth step in reducing
the number of its commitments within the JCPOA.
On May 8, 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the 5+1 group
(Russia, China, the UK, France, the US, and Germany) and imposed
new sanctions against Iran as of November 2018.
Over the past period, the sanctions affected Iranian oil exports
and more than 700 banks, companies, and individuals. The sanctions
have resulted in the freezing of Iranian assets abroad.
