Iran has to take a risk and suspend some of its commitments under the nuclear deal if it wants to break the stalemate in negotiations with European powers over a financial mechanism meant to get around US sanctions, a political expert said.
“The current status quo is not in Iran’s interests. So we have to put some of our commitments under the JCPOA on hold after a detailed assessment to prompt the European Union to revise its sluggish approach and put its words of support for Iran into action,” Hassan Beheshtipour told the Iranian Diplomacy website in a recent interview, using the abbreviation for the 2015 accord’s full name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
“Such a move by Tehran may seem radical and it definitely is. But something needs to be done eventually to achieve a political and diplomatic breakthrough,” he said.
After US President Donald Trump abandoned the nuclear agreement in May and reimposed sanctions on Tehran, European signatories proposed a Special Purpose Vehicle to sidestep the US financial system by using an EU intermediary to handle trade with Iran. The mechanism has not become operational yet.
“We have to put some of our commitments under the JCPOA on hold after a detailed assessment in order to prompt the European Union to revise its sluggish approach and put its words of support for Iran into action”
Good-Faith Efforts
Beheshtipour said Iran has repeatedly demonstrated its “goodwill” to the Europeans but has not received the economic benefits promised under the nuclear pact, which Europe considers “vital” from a security perspective.
So the Iranian government should “take a risk” and stop implementing some of its nuclear commitments to reverse the situation for the better, he added.
However, the international affairs analyst believes that Iran should not quit the deal because it could result in the formation of an international alliance against the Islamic Republic.
“JCPOA has had certain positive benefits for us,” Beheshtipour said, noting that it led to the recognition of Iran’s right to enrich uranium and helped calm the political commotion against the country on the world stage.
“But in order to benefit from it in other areas, particularly in the economic sector, more serious measures, such as my proposal, have to be placed on the agenda. We have to set a strict deadline for the Green Continent [Europe] to launch SPV,” he added.
Europe-US Ties
Commenting on the EU failure to offer practical support to Iran and establish the financial mechanism, the expert said it is mainly due to the fact that Europe’s economy is closely intertwined with America’s.
“Additionally, we have to accept that governments do not determine the economic path of countries in Europe. European companies and financial and banking institutions pursue their own policies regardless of political considerations,” he said.
Beheshtipour predicted that the proposed system will not be put in place in the near future.
“Even if the mechanism becomes operational, it remains to be seen how effective it will be and how it will counter unjust US sanctions,” he said.
