FM Zarif: Iran’s Strategic Patience Over

Date: 16 October 2019 - 22:21

News ID: ۷۱۸۰۷

TEHRAN (Dispatches) – Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday Iran has run out of strategic patience after the European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal failed to honor their commitments in the wake of U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal.
Addressing the 14th round of Iran-South Africa joint commission meetings here, Zarif said Iran remained fully committed to the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), for a whole year after the U.S. withdrawal and gave the Europeans the opportunity to fulfill their obligations and make up for Washington’s exit.
"Sadly, we did not witness any effective measure, and Europe proved to be unable to honor its commitments. As a result, Iran’s strategic patience ended,” Zarif said, adding that Tehran has begun a phased reduction of commitments to the JCPOA in response.
Describing Iran’s steps to scale back the JCPOA commitments as a legal move enshrined in the Articles 26 and 36 of the accord, the top diplomat said Tehran will take the next steps if the other parties do not honor their commitments.
South African Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor said her country backed countries’ right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes and opposed unilateral U.S. sanctions against Iran.
In remarks earlier this month, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said Iran will continue to reduce the JCPOA commitments until it gets the desirable results.
"Reduction of the nuclear commitments, which is a responsibility of the Atomic Energy Organization (of Iran), must continue with full seriousness and in a precise and comprehensive manner, as announced by the administration, until it achieves the appropriate result, and it will definitely yield results,” the Leader said.