Iran Dismisses Rumors on EU Setting Preconditions for SPV Implementation

TEHRAN (defapress)- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi categorically dismissed the rumors spread by the western media that Tehran has accepted a series of preconditions set by the European Union (EU).

News ID: 74670

Date: 31 December 2018 - 20:41

"Certain news claiming that the European Union (EU) together with three European countries have put forward conditions in this regard is basically baseless," Qassemi said on Monday.

The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman reiterated that the Europeans have always maintained constructive cooperation with Iran, and said, "They are well-aware of Iran's manners and characteristics."

Pointing to Europe's efforts to devise a special financial mechanism for Iran known as Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), Qassemi said that such a scheme is basically very complicated and time-consuming to implement regardless of which countries are devising it.

The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, however, said that although Europe has not been able to present its SPV in the due time, Iran hopes to get it implemented soon.

SPV, or special purpose vehicle, is a financial mechanism that the European Union has proposed to facilitate trade with Iran.

The EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini recently said that the SPV has been finalized and is expected to come into force before the yearend.

The SPV which was promised by Iran’s key European trading partners back in September after a meeting of foreign ministers of the remaining signatories to Iran nuclear on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York after the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal is supposed to keep Iran’s financial relations with Europe alive under the US sanctions.

Europeans' honesty in dealing with Iran nuclear deal of July 14, 2015 is seriously doubted by Iranian masses and activists that are discontent with talks with European counterparts.

In contrast with what European politicians and government are stating, many experts in Iran are suspicious of Europe's genuine commitment to the letters of the nuclear agreement of July 14, 2015, and are voicing their discontent with what they describe as Europe's strategy of killing time.

Even some commentators like Seyed Mostafa Khoshchashm are calling the Iranian government to start meaningful modifications in JCPOA undertakings, and specially remove the cap on the country's enriched uranium stockpile after the US unilateral withdrawal from the agreement; a call which is gaining momentum among the Iranians.

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