Iran Officially Halts Two JCPOA Commitments

Iran has officially stopped fulfilling two of its commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal with major powers on the order of the country's top national security body. 
"The implementation of the plans to cease performing some of the country's commitments under JCPOA, which had been mentioned in a statement by the Supreme National Security Council, has begun," an informed source in the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran was quoted as saying by ISNA on Wednesday.  
On May 8, Iran formally notified Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China of its decision to scale back its commitments under the agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a year after the United States unilaterally withdrew from the accord and reimposed sanctions.
A statement issued by the council said Tehran would stop selling unspent enriched uranium and heavy water used in nuclear reactors to other nations.
Under the nuclear deal, Tehran was allowed to produce low-enriched uranium with a 300-kg limit and produce heavy water with a stock capped around 130 tons, according to Reuters. It could ship the excess amounts out of the country for storage or sale. 
The unnamed official said Iran henceforth has no limit on the production of enriched uranium and heavy water, and these plans will be "seriously" pursued. 
Iran has warned that unless the world powers protect its economy from US sanctions within 60 days, it would start enriching uranium at a higher level.
Currently, the accord restricts Iran to enriching uranium to 3.67%. Officials have not elaborated on the degree to which Tehran is prepared to enrich uranium, but it has previously enriched to 20%. 

Legal Path 

The phased measures are being taken based on the legal mechanisms stipulated in the nuclear pact. 
The European Union and the foreign ministers of Germany, France and Britain said they are still committed to the deal, but would not accept ultimatums from Tehran.
In a speech on Tuesday, President Hassan Rouhani said the world acknowledges that Iran demonstrated patience for too long in the face of America's breach of its promise. 
"After America violated the nuclear deal, we gave enough time to our friends and the European Union who had asked for time, so that they could fulfill their obligations … but today we have to use legal channels," he told a gathering of state officials in Tehran, his website reported. 
Washington's European allies, which opposed the US pullout, have tried and failed to come up with ways to blunt the economic impact of the US move while urging Iran to continue to comply.
Rouhani vowed that the Iranian nation will maintain their unity and continue to resist US pressure, which is aimed at bringing the country to its knees.