TEHRAN:** Iran has accused Britain, France, and Germany of failing to respect the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal, following threats from the European nations to reimpose sanctions over Tehran’s atomic programme. The agreement, signed between Iran and the UN Security Council’s permanent members—Britain, China, France, Russia, and the US—plus Germany, imposed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
The deal collapsed after the US withdrew unilaterally in 2018 under former President Donald Trump, reinstating heavy sanctions. Despite European pledges to uphold the agreement, efforts to counter US sanctions proved ineffective, forcing many Western companies to exit Iran and worsening its economic crisis.
“The European parties have been at fault and negligent in implementing the nuclear agreement,“ said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei. The International Atomic Energy Agency reports that Iran is enriching uranium to 60%, far exceeding the 3.67% limit set by the 2015 deal and nearing the 90% threshold required for nuclear weapons.
In recent weeks, France, Britain, and Germany have threatened to trigger the UN snapback mechanism to restore sanctions, accusing Iran of violating its commitments. Baqaei dismissed the move as “meaningless, unjustifiable, and immoral,“ arguing that Iran only scaled back compliance after Western nations failed to uphold their obligations.
“Iran’s reduction of its commitments was carried out in accordance with the provisions outlined in the agreement,“ he added. - AFP
