Iran urges EU to act on nuke deal

By  Trend

Iranian foreign minister on Monday criticized the Europeans for their "slow measures" to salvage Iranian 2015 international nuclear deal, Xinhua reports.

"The Europeans are acting slowly in the fulfillment of their commitments under the nuclear agreement (officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the JCPOA)," Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying by Press TV.

"We will not wait for them unless they adopt practical steps," Zarif said.

He emphasized that Iran has many options to deal with the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA and would consider them based on its national interests.

Washington withdrew from Iran's landmark 2015 nuclear deal in May and imposed batches of sanctions against Tehran, targeting Iran's shipping, financial and energy sectors.

Iran relies heavily on the European's assistance against the U.S. pull out of the nuclear deal and their promises to guarantee Iran's interests under the 2015 accord.

The EU has stressed that it would set up a legal entity to facilitate legitimate financial transactions with Iran in light of the U.S. withdrawal from the international agreement.