TEHRAN - Professor Frank N. von Hippel, former assistant director for national security in the White House Office of Science and Technology, has said that Europe’s performance on the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, is “disappointing”.

Von Hippel told IRNA in an interview published on Thursday that Britain, Germany, and France showed a very “disappointing” performance in countering the United States’ unilateralism.

The nuclear physicist expressed hope that the Europeans would counter the U.S. move to trigger the dispute resolution mechanism.

He said that the United States has been violating international law in various areas, noting that other countries should learn how to use their capabilities effectively.

U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally quit the nuclear deal in May 2018 and introduced the harshest ever sanctions in history on Iran as part of his administration’s “maximum pressure” strategy against Iran.

Despite quitting the multilateral deal, the Trump administration has also stepped up calls for the extension of a UN arms embargo on Iran. The Trump administration has threatened that it may seek to trigger a snapback of all sanctions on Iran if its attempts to extend the arms embargo fail.

Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei has warned France, Germany, and the UK – three European countries signatory to the nuclear deal - against extending the UN arms embargo on Iran, signaling that doing so could spell the end of the Iran nuclear deal.

“According to UN Security Council Resolution 2231, the import or export of weapons to the Islamic Republic is subject to obtaining prior permission for a period of 5 years. This restriction should automatically end in October,” Rabiei told a news conference on Tuesday.

Under the JCPOA backed by Resolution 2231, the UN must lift its arms embargo on Iran five years after the implementation of the nuclear deal. Despite its withdrawal from the JCPOA, the U.S. is pushing for the extension of the arms embargo on Iran, which is scheduled to expire on October 18.

NA/PA