Iran announced on Wednesday that it has started scaling back parts of its commitments under its 2015 nuclear deal unless other powers help Tehran bypass renewed US sanctions, amid rising tensions with Washington.
The move was part of a package of measures announced by Iran in response to the sweeping unilateral sanctions reimposed by Washington in the 12 months since it quit the agreement, which have had a severe effect on the Iranian economy.
Under the landmark deal agreed by US President Donald Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, the six parties to the agreement were supposed to lift nuclear-related sanctions on Iran in return for it reining in its nuclear activities to ease fears it was seeking the capability to produce an atomic bomb.
But the promised sanctions relief has failed to materialize as European and Asian banks and oil companies have moved swiftly to abide by the renewed US sanctions for fear of financial or commercial repercussions.
Iran warned that if the five other parties to the agreement - Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- failed to deliver on their commitments within 60 days to help Tehran benefit from the deal despite the US sanctions, it would suspend other key limits set by the deal.
In a speech broadcast on national television, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said he had written to the remaining signatories saying Tehran would start rolling back on its commitments by stopping selling enriched uranium and heavy water to other nations.
“If the five countries came to the negotiating table and we reached an agreement, and if they could protect our interests in the oil and banking sectors, we will go back to square one (and will resume our commitments),” he said.
Rouhani warned of a firm response if Iran’s nuclear case is referred again to the UN Security Council, but said Tehran was ready for negotiations.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council said the measures were necessary to "secure its rights and bring back balance" after the unilateral moves by the Trump administration.
Iran “does not at the current stage consider itself committed to observing restrictions regarding storing enriched uranium stocks and heavy water stocks," the Supreme National Security Council said.
"The remaining parties to the (deal) are given 60 days to implement their commitments, in particular in the fields of banking and oil," the council added.
"In the next stage Iran will also stop observing restrictions on the level of uranium enrichment and measures regarding modernizing Arak heavy water reactor."
Uranium enriched to much higher levels than Iran's current stocks can be used as the fissile core of a nuclear weapon, while heavy water is a source of plutonium which can be used an alternative way to produce a warhead.
The deal restricted Iran from enriching uranium to more than 3.67 percent, the level commonly used in power generation, and barred it from building additional heavy water reactors or accumulating stocks of more than 130 tons of heavy water.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is on an official visit to Moscow, stressed Iran's actions were not in breach of the nuclear deal.
“After a year of patience, Iran stops measures that US has made impossible to continue.”
Zarif said the remaining countries had a “narrowing window” to save the deal.
Emphasizing that "Iran will not withdraw" from the deal, Zarif said "this right has been set for Iran in the JCPOA (nuclear deal); we are not operating outside of the JCPOA but are in fact working in its framework."
France’s defense minister said she wanted to keep the nuclear deal alive but warned Iran it could face more sanctions if it did not honor its part of the deal.
“Today nothing would be worse than Iran, itself, leaving this agreement,” Florence Parly told BFM TV.
China’s foreign ministry said the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement should be fully implemented and all sides have a responsibility to ensure it happens.
Wednesday’s developments came as Washington stepped up its war of words against Tehran, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo making a hastily organized visit to neighboring Iraq where he accused Iran of planning "imminent" attacks.
Adding to the tensions, Washington announced it was deploying an aircraft carrier strike group with several nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to the Middle East and national security adviser John Bolton warned Washington would respond with "unrelenting force" to any attack by Tehran.
