The 2015 nuclear deal will most likely collapse, if the European Union refuses to bear the costs of rescuing the international accord, a senior diplomat said.
"Political support is not sufficient. Europe must pay a price for saving JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], otherwise it will not stay alive," Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned during a round of political consultations between Iran and Norway in Tehran on Monday, ISNA reported.
The nuclear agreement signed between Iran and the six world powers has been on shaky ground ever since the United States unilaterally walked away and reimposed sanctions last year.
Tehran has remained committed to the deal and other parties have pledged to save the deal, with the EU being the most active in taking measures to protect Iran's financial benefits.
Their measures, however, have not become operational yet, although American sanctions have been enacted for more than six months.
Secretary-General of Norway's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tore Hattrem said during the meeting that Oslo is still hopeful that JCPOA can be salvaged, thanks to EU's efforts to preserve Iran's benefits.
"It is expected that solutions and practical mechanisms such as INSTEX [Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges] would pave the way for increased cooperation in various economic sectors," he said.
Hattrem was referring to the special purpose vehicle designed by EU to facilitate trade with Iran through a non-dollar system so as to bypass US sanctions.
It aims to enable the trading of all commodities between Iran and the EU before expanding to cover third parties as well.
INSTEX was finally registered in late January after months of delay, but it has not become operational yet, although the required corresponding entity in Iran, known as the Special Trade and Finance Institute, has been registered and established.
European Inertia
Earlier on Saturday, Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif complained that the Europeans took more than a year, but failed to take a practical step in activating their payment channel.
"We expect that they prove otherwise and I don't think much time is left for them," he said in an interview with IRNA.
Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani insisted on Monday that Iran no longer cares about Europe’s demands, as European governments have let it down in countering "hostile US policies".
“We are trying to find out why European leaders and the European Union only support us with rhetoric, or only express regret at American actions,” Larijani said during a meeting with Wolfgang Gerstl, the head of Austria-Iran Parliamentary Friendship Group, in Tehran on Monday.
This behavior, he added, has raised questions about EU’s credibility and this implies that Europeans lack the weight to solve problems.
Multiple Options
Araqchi stressed that JCPOA is a multilateral and international agreement and by quitting it, the US has violated international regulations, including the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231.
"Unfortunately, the illegal move has not met a suitable reaction from the global community," he regretted.
The diplomat stressed that Iran has shown its utmost patience, good faith and willingness for cooperation, but those in the White House stick to their malign plans.
"With this illegal and unilateral move, the US has shown that it does not understand the language of respect and interaction, and can only speak the language of bullying," he said.
According to Araqchi, Iran has multiple ways of reacting to the United States' "bullying behavior" and will show the most appropriate response based on its national interests.
Withdrawal from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is among Iran's potential reactions to the US violation of JPCOA and imposition of sanctions.
Zarif told reporters that it is only one of the many options of Iran.
"Regarding [retaliatory] measures, there are multiple options … the authorities are reviewing," he said.
NPT is a landmark international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and promote cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Iran signed the treaty in 1968 and its parliament ratified it in 1970.
