Syed Zafar Mehdi
19 February 2021•Update: 19 February 2021
TEHRAN
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani and President of the European Council Charles Michel spoke over phone to discuss ways to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.
Following the conversation on Thursday evening, Michel tweeted that the European Union “supports the full implementation of the #JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action].”
“Preserving a space for diplomacy, underpinned by positive steps, is crucial at this stage,” he noted.
Rouhani, according to Iran’s state media, emphasized the importance of the European Council’s role in helping keep the 2015 nuclear accord alive.
“The European Union, as an important player in the global arena, must play an effective role in countering the US unilateralism,” the state media quoted Rouhani as saying to Michel.
He hailed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal as an “important achievement for multilateral diplomacy” and stressed that the achievement should be preserved.
In a related development, Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif commented on the latest developments regarding the nuclear deal, saying EU must abide by its own commitments.
"Instead of sophistry & putting onus on Iran, E3/EU must abide by own commitments & demand an end to Trump's legacy of #EconomicTerrorism against Iran," Zarif said on Twitter.
"Our remedial measures are a response to US/E3 violations. Remove the cause if you fear the effect," he added.
He stressed that Iran will "follow actions with action."
Efforts to revive deal
European countries have stepped up efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal and de-escalate tensions between Iran and the US ahead of Feb. 23 deadline set by Iran to stop implementing the Additional Protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
On Thursday, top diplomats from European countries and the US are scheduled to hold talks in Paris to find ways of resurrecting the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Earlier on Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in her telephonic conversation with Rouhani voiced “concern” over Iran’s failing to meet its obligations, her spokesman said in a statement.
For his part, Rouhani stressed that the Europeans must “show in practice” their intentions to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal, reiterating that the “only way” to restore normalcy is lifting of US sanctions.
In line with a recently passed law, Iran is set to stop the implementation of the Additional Protocol to the NPT, although the compliance with its safeguards agreement will continue.
The chief of UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Mariano Grossi, is expected in Tehran on Saturday for “technical talks” on Iran’s nuclear activities and new counter-measures.
