Europe Slammed for Pursuing US Anti-Iran Policies

Iran said European powers are pursuing the United States’ “maximum pressure” policy against Iran under the guise of demanding fresh talks.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Kahtibzadeh made the statement on Monday, in reference to the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas’s call for new negotiations on a nuclear agreement beyond the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed by Iran and six world powers in 2015. 
“No one in Tehran buys into certain people’s supposition that what the US and [President Donald] Trump’s regime could not achieve through the maximum pressure policy against the Iranian nation, can be achieved through other means that they call fresh dialogue or renegotiation,” he said in a virtual press briefing on Monday, ISNA reported. 
He underlined that JCPOA was agreed on after painstaking talks over years and was enshrined in the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 that is legally binding for all member states.
“Iran will not negotiate what it has already negotiated once,” he said. 
Khatibzadeh stressed that the European countries need to honor their own unfulfilled obligations, of which there is a long list, before making new demands. 
The US pulled out of the deal in 2018 and reimposed tough sanctions on Tehran to force Iranian leaders into new talks over a more comprehensive deal. Iran refused to enter renegotiation and took remedial steps away from the deal after European parties failed to offset the effects of those sanctions.
“Iran has announced that if all parties fulfill their commitments, Iran’s reciprocal measures within the framework of JCPOA will be reversed,” Khatibzadeh said.  

No Compromise on National Security 

US President-elect Joe Biden has said he would rejoin the deal if Iran resumed strict compliance, but has signaled intentions to start follow-on negotiations to expand the agreement. 
The German foreign minister has recently said that a return to the previous agreement would not suffice and that a kind of “nuclear agreement plus” was needed. 
“We have clear expectations of Iran: no nuclear weapons, but also no ballistic missile program that threatens the entire region. Iran also needs to play a different role in the region,” he said. 
Khatibzadeh said the European trio need to know that “Tehran will neither negotiate nor compromise its national security”. 
Iran is aware of its rights and obligations, and also reminds others of their own, he added. 
In response to a question about Saudi Arabia’s call for involvement in possible talks over the nuclear deal, Khatibzadeh said Riyadh is trying to divert attention from its own crimes in the region.
The Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has said that Persian Gulf states must be consulted if a US nuclear agreement with Iran is revived, warning it is the only path towards a sustainable agreement.
The Iranian spokesman described it as a sign of “bafflement” how countries stake their reputation to support a powerful foreign player and act against the interests of their own region.  
“These countries should know their position and boundaries before making a comment,” he said.