TEHRAN - Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Monday that Iran is devising the third step of reducing its obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal in a way proportionate to the issues between Iran and the remaining parties to the deal.

“There are many suggestions and consultations. Mr. Macron [French President Emmanuel Macron] is making efforts in this respect. Other European countries have provided supports in this respect and we will wait to see what result these diplomatic efforts will yield in the little time left to take the third step,” he said in a press conference.

He added, “After these actions, necessary decisions will be taken by the supreme council for monitoring the JCPOA to see if the Islamic Republic of Iran should take the third step or not.”

President Hassan Rouhani said on August 14 that Tehran will start the next step of reducing nuclear obligations after the second 60-day deadline.

“We are holding talks with the neighboring countries and other countries in the world in line with boosting relations and we will continue talks in the course of reducing nuclear commitments. However, if we will not reach any result at the end of the second 60-day deadline, we will definitely start the third step. We will give another 60 days in order to reach a right and logical solution,” he stated in a cabinet meeting.

The third step can include installation of more centrifuges, especially advanced ones.

On May 8, exactly one year after the U.S. abandoned the multi-nation nuclear agreement and reimposed sanctions on Iran, Tehran said its “strategic patience” is over and announced a partial withdrawal from some aspects of the pact. It also threatened to step up uranium enrichment if an agreement is not made within 60 days to protect it from the sanctions’ effects. 

In follow-up to that deadline, on July 7 Iran announced that it has started enriching uranium to a purity level of 4.5% as the Europeans missed the 60-day deadline to devise a concrete mechanism to protect the country from the U.S. sanctions.

NA/PA