TEHRAN - Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has explained the reasons of the approval of “Law on Strategic Action to Lift Sanctions and Protect the Interests of the Iranian Nation” by sending a letter to the IAEA.

During a press conference in Vienna on Sunday, he elucidated the key points of the letter and said, “Unilateral and illegal withdrawal of the U.S. from the JCPOA, new economic sanctions on Iran, inaction of the EU to guarantee Iran’s interest under the JCPOA, lack of balance between Iran’s and U.S. commitments and assassination of Iran’s scientists” caused the Islamic Republic of Iran to accelerate its nuclear activities.

Due to economic challenges Iran has faced in recent years, the Iranian authority has demanded the new U.S. administration to “unconditionally” lift sanctions imposed by Donald Trump on the Islamic Republic to save the 2015 nuclear accord. 

During Donald Trump’s administration the U.S. quit the JCPOA and returned previous sanctions and imposed new ones. After a year, Iran said its “strategic patience” is over and decided to restart its nuclear activities in several stages. In its new move, Iran started enriching uranium at its Fordow facility on January 4.

On January 4, the same day that Iran started the 20% uranium enrichment, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet, “We resumed 20% enrichment, as legislated by our Parliament. IAEA has been duly notified. Our remedial action conforms fully with Para 36 of JCPOA, after years of non-compliance by several other JCPOA participants. Our measures are fully reversible upon FULL compliance by ALL.” 

To show its determination to defend the country’s nuclear rights, the Iranian parliament in December approved the “Law on Strategic Action to Lift Sanctions and Protect the Interests of the Iranian Nation”. 

According to the law, the Rouhani administration is obliged to resume enriching uranium by %20 purity and to suspend voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol to the NPT by February 21, 2021, if sanctions are not lifted.   

 “The letter states that the passage of the Strategic Action Law is in fact a strategic reaction adopted towards the actions of the Trump administration over the past few years and in the shadow of the inaction of some parties of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal against the Iranian nation, aiming to provide another opportunity to save the JCPOA through the lifting of sanctions to restore the lost balance in the nuclear deal”, Gharibabadi remarked. 

EE/PA