European powers have a strong will and determination to salvage the nuclear deal but it is not clear whether they have the ability to preserve Iran’s economic benefits enshrined in the agreement after the US departure, says a senior official.
“We have so far witnessed that Europe is serious about saving the JCPOA, but we are not sure about their capabilities,” Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in an interview broadcast on state TV late on Sunday, using the abbreviation for the deal’s official name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Since President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the global agreement on May 8, European powers have been struggling to put together an economic package to convince Iran to stay in the deal, including plans to keep its oil trade and investment flowing.
Solutions, Guarantees
Araqchi said Europe should offer Iran “practical solutions” to protect its interests in key sectors—including oil and gas and banking—and also provide “guarantees” that the solutions can and will be implemented effectively, IRNA reported.
However, he acknowledged that this may turn out to be difficult because of the symmetry of relations between Europe and the US.
Strategic Partnership
“Europe and the United States have a strategic partnership. This partnership does not mean that they have similar views on all issues…They have strategic unity and are on the same front,” the official said.
He concurred that it will not be politically easy for the Europeans (France, Germany and Britain) to break with the US and join ranks with Russia and China—the remaining two participants in the deal.
US Market
“There is also a technical issue,” Araqchi said, explaining that major international companies do not want to lose access to the lucrative US market, so it is predictable that they will stop operating in Iran in order to protect their economic interests.
However, he argued that the nuclear deal was not an “economic” agreement but rather a “political” and “security” accord, the collapse of which will undermine the global nuclear non-proliferation mechanism and will have severe repercussions for the Middle East. “A nuclear crisis will make the situation in our region more complicated. Our region will not be safer without the JCPOA.”
UN Security Council
The deputy minister said Europe needs to make a case against the US in the United Nations Security Council as demanded by the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.
The Leader recently set out a series of conditions for European powers if they want Tehran to stay in the deal after the US exit. He accused Washington of violating UNSC Resolution 2231, which underpins the nuclear agreement with Iran, and asked Europe to propose “a resolution against the US violation” to the world body. Araqchi said as the US is a veto-wielding member of the UNSC, the Europeans should find an appropriate mechanism to fulfill this demand.
He noted that Iran will not accept any commitments beyond those stipulated in the nuclear pact and ruled out any negotiations over the country’s ballistic missile program.
