Press TV - Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman says European signatories to a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), must take practical steps to facilitate implementation of the agreement.

Abbas Moussavi made the remarks on Monday while reacting to a statement issued by the three European signatories to the JCPOA – the UK, France and Germany – a day earlier.
“What Iran expects from the European parties to the JCPOA is to take practical decisions and steps, in an effective and responsible manner, to facilitate its implementation,” the Iranian diplomat said.
On Sunday, France, Britain, and Germany issued a statement, calling for the resumption of dialog and an end to the escalation over Iran’s nuclear deal.

The three European parties to the landmark accord expressed concern that the 2015 deal could potentially collapse following renewed sanctions by the United States and Iran’s decision to scale back some of its commitments in retaliation for the US’s unilateral withdrawal and the imposition of the sanctions.

“The risks are such that it is necessary that all the parties take a pause and think about the possible consequences of their actions,” the statement said, adding, “We are concerned by the risk that the JCPOA further unravels under the strain of sanctions imposed by the United States and following Iran’s decision to no longer implement several of the central provisions of the agreement.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman stressed that voluntary measures that Tehran has so far taken in compliance with the historic deal are based on the Islamic Republic’s goodwill and rooted in reciprocal rights and obligations asserted in the JCPOA, therefore, Tehran’s living up to its commitments should not be viewed as a “one-way road.”

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani announced on May 8 the suspension of some of the country’s commitments under the JCPOA, precisely a year after the United States unilaterally withdrew from the deal.

Moussavi said expecting Tehran to return to the situation before May 8, 2019, would be “irrational” and runs counter to the spirit and content of the JCPOA as long as there is no serious political will on the part of European signatories to the JCPOA to take practical steps and create a balance in mutual commitments so that Tehran would be able to reap the economic benefits from the lifting of the sanctions as promised under the agreement.