TEHRAN- The U.S. and EU compete to exploit the JCPOA. Each looking for the larger share of the exploitation. 

The European Union and European trio (E3) decided not to lift the arms embargo against Iran. Tehran responded to the move, saying it is “illegal” and contravenes their commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal under UN Security Council resolution 2231. 

In a joint statement on Thursday, the E3 - Britain, France, and Germany – said they would retain their sanctions in a “direct response to Iran’s consistent and severe noncompliance” with the nuclear accord, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The European sides said they would keep their sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear program and its development of ballistic missiles.

The measures were to expire in October under a timetable spelled out in the nuclear deal signed in July 2005 between Iran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (Britain, France, China, Russia, and the U.S.) Germany, and the European Union.

Earlier, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiyani had announced that the ending of the arms embargo would lead to the establishment and development of strategic relations with all independent and aligned countries, especially neighbors and Muslim countries.

The EU's exploitation of the JCOPA can be traced back to 2018 when Donald Trump ordered the U.S. pullout from the JCOPA.

Following the U.S. withdrawal in May 2018, the EU suggested an initiative, INSTEX, to remain committed to the nuclear agreement.

The Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX) was a European special-purpose vehicle (SPV) established on 31 January 2019. Its mission was to facilitate non-USD and non-SWIF transactions with Iran to avoid breaking U.S. sanctions.

In September 2019, Iran's then Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said to the EU, "You are not going to do a favor to Iran, you are going to fulfill your obligations." 

Iran's foreign minister at the time added that the Europeans had violated their commitments, which have nothing to do with America's actions. 

After the withdrawal of the United States from the JCPOA, which the Europeans were aware of, the Europeans came up with a harsh policy and made 11 commitments and repeated these 11 commitments several times and did not implement these commitments, Zarif stressed. 

"This means that they violated both their JCPOA commitments and the commitments they made after America's withdrawal," stated Zarif.

The E3's recent decision about not lifting Iran's arms embargo brought the reaction of the country's Foreign Ministry, saying the EU and E3's lack of commitment in reaction to Iran’s nuclear measures “is void of any logic”. 

Iran's loyalty to the terms of the JCOPA agreement was in line with keeping the "window of diplomacy" open and de-escalating tensions, according to the Foreign Ministry. 
The IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi visited Iran in early March 2023, and the visit contained high-level meetings between the IAEA chief and the Iranian authorities. 

The meeting ended with a joint statement by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the two sides agreed on steps toward enhanced cooperation and wider agreements.

There is no doubt that Iran will give a proper response to the EU and E3 for their “illegal,” “provocative,” and “flagrant violation” in violating their commitments, the Foreign Ministry said. 

The ministry said the Europeans’ actions go against the terms of “the JCPOA and UN Security Council resolution 2231”. 
Pointing to Iran's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian termed Europe's non-compliance after Trump's withdrawal from the JCPOA as a "play with time."

"They cannot ask for negotiations on the one hand, and on the other hand, increase the pressure on Iran by repeating and continuing wrong policies," added the top Iranian diplomat.

Amir Abdollahian stated that three European countries are trying to abandon their obligations by applying “false pressure”. 

The Europeans were supposed to keep their commitments, but they played with time and did not take a single step in fulfilling them.

Emphasizing that Iran was the most committed party to its obligations, Amir Abdollahian stressed that Iran would take actions within the framework of the JCPOA, no matter how much the other parties compromise or distance themselves from their commitments.