Europe Should Fulfill Its Obligations on Nuclear Agreement, INSTEX Not Enough – Iran's Official

TEHRAN (Sputnik) – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi has said that the European countries should fulfil its obligations on the nuclear deal, as cooperation between the EU and Tehran via the INSTEX financial tool does not meet all of the country’s needs.

"[INSTEX] is not enough, they [Europe] should completely fulfill their commitments on the nuclear agreement," Mousavi said at a press conference on Monday.

In early April, Tehran welcomed the first transaction made by France, Germany and the United Kingdom within the INSTEX mechanism, which allows countries to bypass sanctions of the United States and continue trade with Iran. The transaction was a payment for medical goods from Europe to Iran amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Iran, the INSTEX was not an obligation for the European signatories of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but a tool to fulfil the nuclear deal after the US withdrawal.

The JCPOA was signed in 2015 by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union. In 2018, the US unilaterally withdrew and reimpose sanctions on Tehran.

A year later, Iran began steadily dropping its own nuclear commitments unless the other signatories attempt to save the accord by facilitating trade with Tehran. As a response to the US withdrawal, Iran also abandoned all obligations in full on January 5.