In phone talks with German and French leaders on Thursday, President Hassan Rouhani said Europe's package of economic measures to preserve the Iran nuclear deal after the US exit is "disappointing" and does not fully meet Tehran's demands.
"Unfortunately, the proposed package lacked an action plan or a clear roadmap for continuation of cooperation and only included some general promises like previous EU statements," Rouhani told German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the president's official website reported.
"After the US pullout from the JCPOA, certain problems have emerged in the fields of economy, banking and oil, and companies that have invested in Iran are now hesitant about continuing their activities," he said, calling the current proposal "disappointing".
The president expressed hope that a ministerial meeting scheduled in Vienna on Friday would succeed in finding a solution to save the accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Foreign Ministers from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia met their Iranian counterpart in the Austrian capital for the first time since Trump left the landmark agreement.
Merkel told Rouhani that the package provides a general outline at this stage, noting that more negotiations are necessary to hammer out the details.
The German chancellor also underlined Europe's determination to remain in the nuclear deal.
Clear and Time-Bound Plan
In a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Rouhani hailed Paris' "positive" efforts to keep the deal alive but said the proposal to offset the US pullout does not go far enough.
"The package proposed by Europe for continuation of cooperation within the framework of the JCPOA does not meet all our demands," the Iranian president stated, adding that Tehran expected a "clear", "time-bound" plan that could compensate for Washington's unilateral withdrawal.
Macron reiterated that France is committed to fulfilling its obligations under the nuclear deal and called for talks to continue, expressing hope that the Vienna meeting would yield positive results.
IAEA Cooperation
On July 4 the president met the International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano in Vienna, in which he said Iran could curtail its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
"Iran's nuclear activities have always been and remain peaceful, but it is Tehran that makes decisions about the level of its cooperation with the IAEA," Rouhani was quoted as saying by the official presidential website.
"Those who have created the new status quo will be responsible for a change in the situation and the level of Iran's cooperation with the agency," added the president, who was on an official visit to Austria. An IAEA statement said the meeting took place as part of the regular high-level dialogue with Iran, in which the officials discussed the agency's safeguards activities in Iran.
The IAEA is verifying and monitoring Iran's implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA as requested by the UN Security Council, which has endorsed the nuclear deal.
"Amano said the IAEA is closely following developments related to the JCPOA and reiterated that the JCPOA represents a significant verification gain," the statement added.
