Iran Does Not Intend to Leave the JCPOA - Foreign Ministry

The JCPOA, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, was signed in 2015 by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. It stipulated that Tehran significantly limit its nuclear programme in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related international sanctions.

Tehran is not seeking to abandon the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known as the Iranian nuclear deal, the country's deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday.

Speaking during a meeting with Japan's Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, Araghchi added that Tehran is ready to come back to abiding by the commitments stipulated by the deal provided that the sanction regime against Iran is lifted.

Iran began scaling back its obligations under the nuclear deal in May, a year after the US pulled out of the JCPOA. In November, Tehran launched the fourth stage of reductions to its nuclear enrichment commitments after the three previous stages expired.

Washington abandoned the nuclear deal on 8 May 2018 and reimposed tough sanctions against Iran’s banking and energy sectors. Other parties to the agreement attempted to find a mechanism to evade the restrictions to keep the deal alive. However, Iran complained that these efforts weren't working effectively.

The Iranian nuclear deal was signed in 2015 in Vienna, obliging Tehran to limit its nuclear programme in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related international sanctions.