Iran accused Germany, France, and the UK of escalating tensions by threatening to revoke some sanctions relief granted under the 2015 nuclear deal.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the deal is known, remains the “best option with no alternatives,” and its revival benefits all participants, stated Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, in a letter to the Security Council dated June 5, reviewed by Bloomberg News.
The JCPOA began to unravel after President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the agreement in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Tehran restricted some UN nuclear watchdog activities and significantly increased uranium enrichment.
Iran sent the letter after the three countries expressed concerns this week about Iran’s recent actions and highlighted worries that the original deal stipulates UN sanctions on Tehran will be permanently lifted in October 2025.
These concerns were included in a move to censure Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) after inspectors reported that Tehran hasn’t cooperated in resolving a probe into uranium particles. The measure passed with significant support from Western countries.
Iravani claimed that Western countries’ concerns over the expiration of the agreement are “misleading, irrelevant, and provocative” given the “absolutely peaceful nature” of Iran’s nuclear program.
The criticism at the IAEA follows recent statements by current and former Iranian officials suggesting the country might shift its nuclear doctrine to allow the building of a nuclear bomb.
Iravani asserted that the agreement, negotiated under then-President Barack Obama and later scrapped by Trump, “exemplified successful dialogue and diplomacy.”
