TEHRAN - Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said on Sunday that the European Union should not seek any demands because it is has lost its credibility.

During a meeting with Wolfgang Gerstl, head of Austrian Parliamentary Friendship Group, in Tehran, Larijani criticized the European countries for failing to make up for the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

In May 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled Washington out of the JCPOA and ordered reimposition of sanctions against Iran. The first round of sanctions went into force on August 6 and the second round, which targets Iran’s oil exports and banks, were snapped back on November 4.

“We have this question why the European leaders just support us or express regret over the U.S. behavior in words?” he remarked.

“Definitely, you might say there are problems because of U.S. pressure and it might sound logical. However, we look at this from our own point of view and the most important thing for us is that this behavior has raised questions about the European Union’s credibility and it means that the European Union lacks the weight to solve problems,” remarked Larijani who served as Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator with the EU in the early years of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency.

Gerstl admitted that the recent developments showed how deeply Europe was dependent on the U.S. 

He noted that the EU has had the will to have economic interaction with Iran.

France, Germany and Britain announced on January 31 the creation of INSTEX, a special purpose vehicle aimed at facilitating legitimate trade between European economic operators and Iran.

NA/PA