US Policies Prompted Iranian Reduction of JCPOA Compliance

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reiterated that the United States’ policies were the main reason for Iran’s reduction of compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, calling for the removal of its pressure to resolve the current standoff. 
“US admits that only after it ‘left the JCPOA, Iran has taken steps away’ while until then ‘Iran was living up to its limits’, he said in a tweet on Thursday, using the acronym for the deal’s formal name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. 
He was citing recent remarks by US State Department Spokesman Ned Price, who admitted that Iran remained compliant with JCPOA before the deal was abandoned by former US president, Donald Trump. 
“That US behavior—the CAUSE—has not changed,” he added. 
Washington reimposed tough sanctions on Tehran after leaving the agreement, prompting Iranian authorities to resort to the deal’s provisions on remedial measures and scale back JCPOA commitments.
The new administration now intends to rejoin the deal, but urges Tehran to resume full compliance first. Iran calls for the complete and effective removal of sanctions before it reverses its measures.   
The Iranian foreign minister also took a swipe at the three European parties, namely France, Germany and Britain, known as E3, for failing to meet their trade commitments under the deal. 
“E3 also culpable-no business w/ [with] Iran for 3 yrs [years],” he said. 
The European Union has also been constantly urging Iran to return to full compliance while failing to protect its economic interests. 
“US/E3 must remove the cause, NOT ask Iran to stop P36 remedies,” Zarif said, referring to paragraph 36 of the agreement that allows the suspension of commitments in case of non-compliance by other parties. 

No Talks Needed

In its most recent countermeasure, Iran has suspended adherence to the Additional Protocol, an annex to the Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency which allows UN inspectors to carry out snap inspections on Iran’s nuclear facilities. 
Although conducted through a mechanism that enables possible inspection for another three months, the measure has raised concern by the US and its European allies.  
While Price said the measure has created an urgent challenge for the US, EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, described Iran’s latest moves “very much concerning.”
The EU has proposed to host a meeting of JPCOA parties, with the US and Iran attending to discuss their way out of the deadlock. Iran is yet to respond to this invitation. 
Nevertheless, Iran’s envoy to the UN says there is no need for negotiations over America’s potential return to the agreement and it can secure its return to the accord by lifting its sanctions within the next three months. 
“If sanctions are lifted within the next three months, Iran will act in line with its commitments,” he said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Wednesday.