Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said Friday that if Iran does not achieve its goals outlined in the 2015 nuclear deal, it cannot stay in the deal.
Senior officials in Tehran are making explicit statements indicating unambiguously that Tehran would leave the international agreement following the US withdrawal, he recalled.
“If Iran's goals are not achieved, it would be impossible to keep (the deal) alive” he said, adding that Iran cannot and should not be expected to uphold the deal and be under sanctions at the same time, Mehr News Agency reported.
He made the remarks in a meeting at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) in Oslo attended by that country’s foreign ministry officials, NUPI scholars and researchers as well as representatives from Norwegian institutions.
His remarks came after Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in an interview with Euronews on Thursday that the deal “is in the intensive care unit” because it has lost its balance as a result of the US withdrawal.
Salehi hailed Iran’s efforts in line with world peace and security, saying that the nuclear deal, known as JCPOA, was signed as part of those efforts.
The senior nuclear official pointed to the hard work and efforts that went into reaching the multilateral nuclear deal, adding that the agreement not only addressed the concerns of global powers about Iran’s nuclear capabilities but also responded to the rights and needs of the Iranian people.
He noted that safeguarding the nuclear deal is indeed a litmus test for the international community.
Salehi took stock of the US’ hostile and hypocritical approach to Iran, adding that the Americans alongside the Israelis are creating problems for the nuclear deal.
No Zero Enrichment
Addressing an expert panel held on the sidelines of the Oslo Forum in the presence of Norwegian and Omani foreign ministers on Friday, Salehi said the nuclear negotiations between Iran and world powers that led to the nuclear deal had initially “begun on the condition that the US abandon the notion of zero enrichment.”
He warned that the Middle East and the entire world will face a “dreadful” future if the nuclear agreement collapses. Slamming the US administration’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Salehi said the international community had demonstrated a strong response to Washington’s “imprudent and baseless” decisions.
“If the European Union and other countries supporting the JCPOA do not demonstrate their practical opposition to the US policies in due time, they will face a dreadful future and unprecedented insecurity in the region and the world because of the collapse of the JCPOA,” he added.
Donald Trump pulled the US out of the JCPOA last month. The historic deal was signed in Vienna in 2015 after marathon talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France plus Germany).
