Europe, Japan 'Concerned' over Iran’s Enrichment Announcement

TEHRAN (defapress) – British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt expressed concerns over Iran’s decision to scale down its nuclear commitments, hoping that the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers could still work.

News ID: 78012

Date: 08 July 2019 - 14:45

"Well we continue to think, alongside the French and the Germans, that the most important priority is for Iran to remain nuclear-free…we'd still like to find a way to make this deal work,” Hunt claimed in London on Sunday.

“We're very concerned about the news that has come out today and we will wait for independent verification by the relevant international body before deciding what next steps,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Iran declared second step in reduction of its commitments under the JCPOA by ramping up the level of uranium enrichment to over 3.67 percent.

US President Donald Trump, who has called the JCPOA "the worst deal ever" and withdrawn the US from the multilateral agreement, also issued a warning to Iran, saying, "Iran better be careful."

Later, EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said that the bloc is "extremely concerned" about Iran's decision to ramp up enrichment beyond the 3.67 percent limit.

Germany’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday that it is awaiting further information from the UN atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, after Iran’s announcement.

Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura said on Monday that Japan was "seriously concerned and closely watching" the development on the nuclear deal.

Nishimura urged Iran to "immediately return to its commitment under the agreement and avoid any further steps that would undermine the nuclear agreement."

On May 8, 2018, Trump pulled his country out of the nuclear accord.

Following the US withdrawal, Iran and the remaining parties launched talks to save the deal.

However, the EU’s failure to ensure Iran’s economic interests forced Tehran to stop honoring certain commitments, including an unlimited rise in the stockpile of enriched uranium.

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