TEHRAN – Mohsen Rezaee, secretary of the Expediency Council, has warned the Rouhani administration against delaying to take the fourth step in scaling down Iran’s commitments to the 2015 nuclear agreement, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“The administration’s delay in taking the fourth nuclear step due to pinning hopes on the irresolute and incapable Europe is a total loss,” Rezaee said in a tweet on Thursday.

Washington withdrew from the internationally-endorsed JCPOA with Iran on May 8, 2018, reimposed the toughest-ever sanctions against the country and started a plan to zero down Tehran’s oil sales.

Under the nuclear agreement, Tehran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of economic and financial sanctions.

Following the U.S. withdrawal, Iran remained fully committed to the JCPOA for a year, but announced on the anniversary of Washington’s bellicose move that its “strategic patience” is over and would gradually reduce its commitments to the deal at 60-day intervals, which were designed as deadlines for Europe to protect Tehran’s interests under the deal.

So far, Iran has taken three steps in that regard.

In the first step, Iran removed cap on its nuclear deal stockpile which was limited to 300 kilograms enriched to purity of 3.67 percent. In the second step, which started on July 7, Iran started enriching nuclear fuel to more than 3.67 percent. And in the third step, which fell on September 6, Iran removed ban on nuclear research and development (R&D).

Tehran has repeatedly said its measures will be revered as soon as Europe finds practical ways to shield the Iranian economy from unilateral U.S. sanctions.

MH/PA