Iran urges Europe to show political will in 60 days

'Over last year, we exercised extreme patience in order to show that Iran is ready, Iran is ready to take extra mile, in order to show that it is sincere in its implementation of the nuclear deal,' Majid Takht-e Ravanchi said in an interview with US media 'PBS'.

“But, unfortunately, due to U.S. bullying of even its closest allies, we have not received the economic benefit that we were promised to receive based on the nuclear deal,' Majid Takht-e Ravanchi said in an interview with the US media ‘PBS’. 

“And then we were left with no other option than to say that, for 60 days, we are going to stop implementing or to cease performance of some of our obligations, voluntary obligations, based on the nuclear deal,' he added.

He noted: “And we will see what will happen during the next 60 days. The window of diplomacy is not closed. We believe that Iran will speak, will negotiate with the partners, the remaining participants of the JCPOA, and we will see what will be the outcome of the negotiations.”

Elaborating on Iran's intention to enrich uranium at a higher level than 3.67 percent, Takht-Ravanch said: 'Well, no, for the time being, we are adhering to the JCPOA on the limit of the enrichment, the level of enrichment.”

He added: “What we have said is, for the next 60 days, we are going just to be free for our stockpile.”

“We are not talking about enriching more than 3.67 percent for the next 60 days,” Iranian envoy reiterated.

Commenting on the reasons behind Iran’s decision, he said: “The reason is that our partners have had more than enough time, for the last year-and-a-half or so, to — for the last year or so — I'm sorry — to compensate what the Americans have done to the JCPOA.”

“So if they cannot do it in the next two months that means that the political will is not there. And then we will act in accordance with our national interests,” he added.

In response to a question regarding the possibility of holding meeting between Iranian and the US presidents, he said: “There is — I mean, there is no utility in meeting somebody who carelessly tear apart, you know, an international agreement.”

Takht-Ravanchi went on to say: “It wasn't an agreement between Iran and the United States. Other countries, the European Union were part of it. So, all of a sudden, we see that the president comes and says, I don't like it because of so many reasons, because the former president took the initiative to sign such an agreement with Iran.”

“So, how can we trust somebody who carelessly and recklessly do something like this?” he noted.

Referring to US hardliners and also the Israeli regime anti-Iran approach, he said: “I think the hard-liners, as our foreign minister has coined it, four B's, Bibi Netanyahu, Bolton, bin Zayed, and bin Salman, they are doing whatever they can, no matter what Iran does.”

He added: “So it doesn't matter how we are dealing with JCPOA.”

“Their agenda is to provoke. Their agenda is to agitate the situation. Their agenda is to prepare a war against Iran.”

For much of the interview, he said: “We are not trying to wage war against anybody, but, definitely, we will defend ourselves no matter what.”

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Iran will give a 60-day moratorium to the states parties to Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to remedy their breaches and restore Iran's interests enshrined by the international deal.

Iranian Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) in a statement announced that Iran has stopped some of its commitments under the JCPOA as of May 8, 2019.

Over the past year and after the US illegal withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal known as the JCPOA and its breach of the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, the Islamic Republic of Iran has shown most of its self-restraint and has given considerable opportunity on requests made by other parties to JCPOA, the statement reads.

May 8 marks the first anniversary of the US unilateral withdrawal from the Iran Deal formally known as the JCPOA endorsed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231.