TEHRAN - Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has said European countries are expected to create an atmosphere in which their private sector be encouraged to do business in Iran.

In an interview with the ICAN published on Monday, Araqchi also said, “We are studying practical, legal and political guarantees that the Europeans should provide and there are many ideas in this respect.”

Since Trump withdrew from the nuclear pact on May 8, Iran has been seeking guarantees that its economic interests are protected otherwise it will resume nuclear activities at a greater speed.

On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the European Union (EU) is not doing enough to secure the benefits for Iran from the 2015 nuclear deal following the withdrawal of the United States. 

With the U.S. pullout, Iran’s public expectations from the EU have increased in order to maintain the benefits of the deal, Zarif told EU’s energy chief Miguel Arias Canete in Tehran.

According to the nuclear deal, Iran is tasked to put limits on its nuclear activities in exchange for termination of economic and financial sanctions. 

The deal was signed in July 2015 and went into force in January 2016.

Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign policy chief, issued a statement on Friday saying that the 28-nation bloc is united in preserving the international nuclear deal.

NA/PA