TEHRAN – Behrooz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), said on Monday that Tehran’s decision to reduce its commitments to the 2015 nuclear pact was not made out of stubbornness, rather it aims to give a chance to diplomacy.

Kamalvandi said the move was aimed to awaken the other parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to honor their obligations, IRNA reported.

Under the nuclear accord, Iran was tasked to put limits on its nuclear activities in exchange for termination of economic and financial sanctions. 

“What Iran gave up was much more than what it received, because the other side, particularly after the U.S. exit from the deal, forgot their obligations,” he lamented.

The remaining members of the 2015 agreement are E3 – Britain, Germany, France – the European Union, China and Russia. 

“What Iran is doing in terms of nuclear measures is aimed at reminding the signatories of their obligations,” Kamalvandi reiterated.

As a retaliation against the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA and reimposition of sanctions on Iran coupled with a failure by the European Union to compensate for the U.S. exit, Iran officially announced that it would stop selling stockpiles of enriched uranium and heavy water for 60 days from May 8.

Kamalvandi said Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium has exceeded the 300 kg limit, and that Iran has exceeded the limit of 3.67 percent in uranium enrichment.

Iranian has repeatedly said if Tehran’ rights are guaranteed under the agreement it is ready to reverse its decisions.

After quitting the nuclear agreement, the Trump administration has not only returned the previous sanctions that had been lifted under the JCPOA, it has added new ones.

It has even ordered a total ban on Iran’s oil export, a move which has been called a declaration of economic war against the Iranian people.

The Trump administration has taken all these steps despite the fact that the International Atomic Energy Agency has said Iran’s nuclear activities are subject to the most intrusive inspections in history.

MH/PA