Iran to fully implement JCPOA only if its demands are met

“When the Europeans, including France, persuade Trump with their initiative, it means that ‘maximum pressure’ has failed to achieve its aims and there is a division. They should fulfill Iran’s demands because we have said that Iran’s demands in the JCPOA, specifically regarding oil sales and banking ties, should be met for us to return to full implementation of the deal,” Araghchi told a state Radio program on Thursday night.

The multilateral nuclear deal has been in jeopardy since US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the JCPOA in May last year and stepped up sanctions on the Islamic Republic in what he called ‘maximum pressure’ campaign.

Under the deal, signed between Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China – plus Germany, Tehran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions.

Since May, Iran has introduced cuts to its nuclear commitments twice in compliance with articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA. Iran says these measures will be reversible as soon as Europe finds practical ways to shield the Iranian economy from unilateral US sanctions, which were imposed last year when Washington withdrew from the nuclear deal.

“What we have proposed to Europeans is to either buy our oil for their companies through obtaining US’s permission or if they cannot do this, provide the Islamic Republic with credit lines in proportion to the same amount of our oil sales. Our return to full JCPOA implementation is impossible without these measures,” Araghchi added in the interview.

Pointing to France’s initiative to salvage the deal in G7 summit in Biarritz, he highlighted that “the American side has shown some flexibility in issuing waivers for Iran’s oil sales.”

“This is the very split that has opened up in America’s maximum pressure policy and the very achievement that Iran is obtaining in its maximum resistance policy,” he highlighted

“There will be strenuous and complicated negotiations ahead of us for arriving at a specific formula,” to salvage the JCPOA, the deputy FM added.

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