BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 12. European countries have followed incorrect policies regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) related to Iran’s nuclear program, said Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi after today’s Cabinet meeting in Tehran, Trend reports.
He noted that after the U.S. withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, European countries failed to meet their commitments to Iran.
Araghchi pointed out that European countries are now facing an uncertain situation and should be held accountable for the JCPOA issue.
“These issues are being addressed in our ongoing talks with European countries,” he added.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was implemented in January 2016 between Iran and the P5+1 group (U.S., Russia, China, U.K., France, and Germany) regarding Iran’s nuclear program. In May 2018, the U.S. withdrew from the agreement, and sanctions on Iran were re-imposed in November of the same year. In 2020, Iran declared that there would be no further restrictions on its nuclear activities.
In late 2020, Iran’s parliament decided to pursue a strategic plan to lift the sanctions imposed on Iran. As part of this decision, Iran suspended the additional measures and protocols under the nuclear deal, starting on February 23. This led to a 20-30% reduction in the IAEA’s monitoring mechanisms.
Iran has consistently stated that its goal is not to acquire nuclear weapons and that it does not support the production of weapons of mass destruction.
Additionally, the first round of talks between Iran and three European countries (the UK, France, and Germany) at the deputy foreign ministers’ level was held in Geneva on November 29, 2024. The second round took place on January 13-14, 2025, and the third round is scheduled for February 24, 2025. These discussions primarily focus on Iran’s nuclear program.