Iran threatens fifth step to scale back nuclear commitments

The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, threatened on Sunday that Iran will take a fifth step of scaling back its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal with western powers, the Xinhua news agency reports.

Iran has gradually scaled back its compliance with the 2015 deal in response to US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement in May of 2018.

After the US pullout from the deal, the three European parties to the deal vowed to guarantee Iran’s economic interests in accordance with the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but they have so far failed to implement practical measures to save it, said Shamkhani.

“It was US President Donald Trump who started to reduce the JCPOA commitments by leaving the JCPOA and after that, Europe completed the US measures by ignoring its commitments,” Shamkhani noted.

“If the Europeans fail to fulfill their obligations, we will take the fifth step,” he warned.

Most recently, the Islamic Republic restarted uranium enrichment at the underground Fordow facility in violation of the deal.

In September, Iran announced that it was firing up advanced centrifuges that enrich uranium at a faster rate.

Earlier this month, the Islamic Republic said it will unveil a new generation of uranium enrichment centrifuges.

The European signatories to the 2015 deal have been trying to save the nuclear deal and have vowed to help Iran evade the economic sanctions imposed by the US, shielding companies doing business with the rogue state in an effort to preserve the Iran nuclear deal.

However, Iran has rejected the overtures of France, Britain and Germany as insufficient.