Iran’s rollback on 2015 deal commitments poses no risk of nuclear arms proliferation – Moscow

https://www.rt.com/news/477582-iran-nuclear-rollback-us-russia/

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Blaming Tehran for its decision not to adhere to the 2015 nuclear deal won’t work, as it’s a direct consequence of the US’s withdrawal from the pact and increased sanctions pressure on Iran, the Foreign Ministry said.

The rollback on uranium enrichment constraints detailed in the landmark international agreement “in itself poses no threat in terms of proliferation of nuclear weapons,” the ministry said in a statement.

The fact that Iran is acting in “close cooperation and under supervision” of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should eliminate all concerns, it added.

The Iranian move must be viewed in the context of the US’s unilateral withdrawal from the deal in May 2018, as well as the “massive onslaught” of sanctions imposed by Washington on Tehran and other signees (Russia, China, the UK, France and Germany) which has been taking place since then.

“The most important thing” was Iran’s eagerness to immediately return to full compliance after all of its “justified” concerns over other signees not fulfilling the terms of the deal are removed, Moscow pointed out.

Maintaining the nuclear agreement should remain a priority for all involved parties, the ministry said, adding that “a lot in this regard depends on our European partners.”

Over the weekend, Tehran announced the completion of the fifth and final step in its gradual scaling down of the commitments agreed under the 2015 deal. The country’s nuclear program “no longer faces any operating restrictions,” it said, adding that the level of uranium enrichment will from now on be solely determined by Iran’s own “technical needs”. Tehran and the IAEA both confirmed that international inspectors are continuing to work with Iran.

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