Washington on Thursday voiced deep concerns before the UN Security Council over Tehran pressing on with demands that go beyond the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Meanwhile, major European countries involved in negotiations for reviving the Iran nuclear deal took a tougher stance on the “extremely worrying context” of Tehran’s actions.
Permanent Representative of France to the UN Nicolas de Rivière, Barbara Woodward, UK’s envoy, and German Ambassador Antje Leedertse issued a joint statement confirming that the Council was keeping a close eye on the threat to international security caused by Iran’s nuclear escalation.
“Iran has been taking unprecedented steps to accelerate the pace of its nuclear program in the past three years and continues to escalate unabatedly,” the E3 statement said.
“Some of the most serious steps have been taken during the negotiation process aimed at returning Iran to full implementation" of JCPOA and the US to the deal, it added.
“We regret that up until now Iran has refused to seize this diplomatic opportunity and continued its nuclear escalation,” said the diplomats in their statement.
“Recently, Iran announced the installation and use of additional powerful advanced centrifuges and the removal of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s JCPOA-related surveillance and monitoring equipment.”
“This occurs in the deeply concerning context of Iran continuing to increase its stockpiles of uranium enriched at 20% and 60% to unprecedented levels.”
“The IAEA received its mandate to verify and monitor JCPOA implementation directly from the UN Security Council.”
“Iran’s complete termination of key JCPOA-related transparency measures is therefore a particularly negative, counterproductive and provocative step, which this Council cannot remain silent on.”
“Iran’s actions are rapidly unsettling the balance of the package we had negotiated over many months to restore the JCPOA and closing the window for an immediate diplomatic solution.”
The statement warned that the repercussions on international security and the international non-proliferation regime of such an outcome would be “grave and long lasting.”
The diplomats then called upon Iran to stop and reverse its nuclear escalation, return to full cooperation with the IAEA and seize without further delay the offer on the table, which would benefit the Iranian people and nation.
