Iran's Zarif says Tehran not pulling out of nuclear deal
Iran will reduce some “voluntary” commitments within its nuclear deal with world powers as a response to members’ inability to resist U.S. pressure, but will not withdraw from it, state media on Wednesday quoted Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said.
Iran’s state media said earlier Tehran would write to the countries still signed up to the deal - U.S. allies Britain, France and Germany as well as Russia and China - on Wednesday to give them details about plans to “diminish its commitments” under the deal.
“Iran’s future actions will be fully within the (nuclear deal), from which the Islamic Republic will not withdraw,” Zarif said, according to state media. “The European Union and others ... did not have the power to resist U.S. pressure, therefore Iran ... will not carry out some voluntary commitments.”
President Hassan Rouhani will also write separate letters to the E3+2 leaders on Wednesday saying Iran exercised restraint over the past year, but the other parties to the deal failed to adhere to their commitments so that Iran had no other way but to reduce its commitments under the deal.
In completion of President Rouhani’s letters, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will write a letter to EU Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini to announce the technical and legal details of Iran’s new decision to reduce its commitments.
The text of the letters will be among the confidential documents of JCPOA Joint Commission, but the news about them will be published.
What Iran specifically wants is to return to banking and oil trade conditions before US exit from the deal on May 8, 2017.
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