TEHRAN - Iran reiterated on Monday that it will suspend the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as of February 21 if the JCPOA parties don’t fulfill their commitments to lift sanctions on Iran.

Speaking at a press conference, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh stressed the Iranian government will be required to stop the implementation of the Additional Protocol on February 21 under parliamentary law.

On December 1, the Iranian Parliament (Majlis) overwhelmingly voted in favor of a law called “Strategic Action to Lift Sanctions and Safeguard Interests of the Iranian People”. It tasked the government to suspend more commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – the official name for the 2015 nuclear deal - that former U.S. President Donald Trump quit in May 2018 and returned previous sanctions and added new harsh ones.

The new law was ratified after Europeans failed to meet Tehran’s interests under the JCPOA.

“The Iranian government will be required to prevent foreign access and monitoring beyond the Additional Protocol, however, it would not mean an end to all monitoring activities,” Khatibzadeh remarked, according to Tasnim.
 
Nevertheless, he emphasized that Iran’s measures are reversible provided that the JCPOA parties live up to their commitments.

According to the parliamentary law, Iran started to enrich uranium to 20 percent purity at the Fordow nuclear facility in early January.