Warning that Tehran’s position jeopardises prospects of restoring the 2015 accord, European powers on Saturday raised “serious doubts” over Iran’s sincerity in seeking a nuclear agreement.
Issuing a joint statement, the leaders of Britain, Germany and France said the latest demands made by Iran have made them question its commitment to the nuclear deal.
”Iran continues to escalate its nuclear programme way beyond any plausible civilian justification,” they added.
Under the Non-Proliferation Treaty that was concluded with the UN atomic energy watchdog IAEA, Tehran has also reopened issues related to its legally binding obligations.
It comes after Iran was accused of being tied to a disruptive cyberattack on Albania by the United States.
Ordering Iranian diplomats and embassy staff to leave within 24 hours, Albania severed diplomatic relations with Iran on Wednesday due to the incident.
Although European mediators last month appeared to make progress in restoring the deal, optimism dimmed when the United States sent a reply.
Former US President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Iran after trashing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA).
While hopes of revival grew under President Joe Biden, a White House spokesperson said that he wants to ensure the US has “other available options” to ensure that Iran does not achieve nuclear weapons capability.
Calling Iran’s latest reply on the nuclear deal a step “backwards”, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Washington is “not about to agree to a deal that doesn’t meet our bottom-line requirements”.
(With inputs from agencies)
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