The decision by the Czech Parliament to keep in place a ban on cooperation with Iran over the development of its nuclear power plant was the result of pressure from the hawkish US administration, a lawmaker said.
US President Donald Trump has regularly hammered publically the deal his predecessor Barack Obama, along with the governments of four other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany, negotiated with Iran in 2015.
It was supposed to lift sanctions against Tehran in return for temporary curbs on its nuclear work.But Trump, who has been an avowed enemy of the international agreement, is desperate to find ways to derail the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the deal is formally known.
"Many countries are aligned with Washington and concerns over harm from the US have given them second thoughts about engaging with Iran," Mojtaba Zolnouri also told ICANA on Sunday.
"The Americans are trying to recruit accomplices in the bad promises they commit against JCPOA … By refusing to revoke a 17-year-old anti-Iran law, the Czech Republic has officially aligned itself with Washington's policy."
The Czech Parliament's lower house, on Friday, rejected a government proposal to annul a 2000 law that bans Czech companies from supplying equipment for Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, AP reported.
Iran has one operational nuclear plant in the southern port city of Bushehr. It is planning to build more reactors there. Last year, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the country's nuclear chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, visited Prague to discuss nuclear cooperation.
Iran is seeking help from European nations to improve its civilian program. The International Atomic Energy Agency has verified the civilian nature of Iran's nuclear program.
