Commitments made by the five remaining signatories to the nuclear deal would not go far enough unless coupled with action, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Friday, adding that Tehran's stance on potential reciprocal measures should not be interpreted as some sort of a threat.
Speaking to reporters after meeting with his counterparts from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia in Vienna, Zarif said the non-US parties do have the political will to keep the 2015 agreement alive, ISNA reported.
He said a proposal of economic measures to offset the US pullout from the deal had been offered to Tehran before the ministerial meeting, which included “practical solutions but was not enough.”
However, some of the missing points were covered by a joint statement issued after the meeting and the participants provided explanation on how the guarantees will be implemented in some areas such as oil and banking, Zarif added.
"We have decided to convey the commitments made today to Tehran so that the country's authorities can make the necessary decisions," the foreign minister said.
"The proposed commitments and measures should now be implemented to see whether we will reap the benefits or not."
*** Time Frame
Asked if a time frame has been set, he said that is subject to the US sanctions but varies from case to case as the completion of some steps may take longer.
The EU blocking regulation needs to be adopted before the reimposition of US sanctions, Zarif noted, in reference to a system that has been designed to protect European firms against US extraterritorial economic sanctions.
The EU Commission has published a so-called "blocking regulation" which seeks to limit the "extraterritorial" effect of some US sanctions in an effort to protect EU businesses.
The EU Parliament and Council now have 2 months to file any objections. Should none be made, the proposed measures will come into effect by the beginning of August 2018.
Some US sanctions take effect after a 90-day wind-down period ending on Aug. 6, and the rest, most notably on the oil sector, after a 180-day wind-down period ending on Nov. 4, according to Reuters.
*** Corresponding Measures
Zarif said Iran reserves the right to take corresponding measures in response to the US controversial withdrawal if the proposed package cannot be put into force.
"Our [potential] reciprocal measures are not a threat but rather a fact that has been recognized under the JCPOA," he noted, using the abbreviation for the deal's official name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
France’s foreign minister told RTL radio before traveling to Vienna for the ministerial meeting that Iran must stop permanently threatening to break its commitments under the nuclear deal.
"They must stop the threats so that we can find the solutions so that Iran can have the necessary economic compensations," Jean-Yves Le Drian said.
*** Political Will
According to AFP, Zarif praised the "will to resist" US pressure demonstrated by the remaining participants in the pact during the talks.
"This is the first time they have shown this level of commitment, but we will have to see in the future what they really want to do and what they can do," he told the press conference.
"If they continue to demonstrate the political will they showed today, they will get things done without any problem."
Zarif added that negotiations will continue at different levels to work out the details.
The diplomats said at Friday's meeting that they remained committed to the accord and to building up economic relations with Iran, including "the continuation of Iran's export of oil and gas" and other energy products.
