Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian criticized the United States and European nations for double-standards in their approach to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, accusing them of reneging on their commitments while falsely blaming Iran for the agreement's collapse.
The UN Security Council on Friday failed to adopt a resolution that would continue to provide sanctions relief for Iran under the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Britain, France, and Germany -- the so-called E3 -- last month triggered the deal's "snapback" mechanism, which allows UN sanctions to be reimposed within 30 days if Iran is judged in breach of the 2015 nuclear accord. The sanctions are expected to take effect later this month.
In an interview with China Media Group (CMG) in Beijing released on Friday, Pezeshkian talked about the obstacles facing the nuclear deal.
"This is double standards! We jointly signed the agreement. Iran accepted the JCPOA after the six-party talks and complied with all its provisions. But the United States tore up the agreement that had been reached—an agreement that took years to achieve. We abided by the agreement and fulfilled our commitments," said the president.
Iran signed the JCPOA in July 2015 with six countries -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States. Under the deal, Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
The JCPOA largely collapsed when Washington withdrew in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, prompting Iran to roll back its nuclear commitments.
"After the U.S. withdrew from the deal, the Europeans also did not honor their promises. Now those who failed to keep their promises are sitting together, accusing Iran of not complying. They themselves do not honor their commitments, yet they blame Iran for not adhering to the agreement. Despite domestic pressure, Iran strove until the very end to maintain the validity of the agreement," Pezeshkian said.
Iranian president accuses US of double standards over nuclear deal
