'Deeply Concerned' by nuke deal violation, Germany, France & UK ask Iran to 'back off'

On Saturday, January 16, Germany, France and Britain urged Iran to back off the latest violation of its 2015 nuclear deal saying that Tehran has “no credible civilian use” for uranium metal. As per the reports by AP, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that Iran had informed it that it had begun installing equipment for the production of uranium metal. It also said that Tehran is still on its plans on conducting research and development on uranium metal production.

"Deeply Concerned"  

The European powers, in a statement, said that they are “deeply concerned” by the latest Iranian announcement. The statement said, “Iran has no credible civilian use for uranium metal. The production of uranium metal has potentially grave military implications”. It added, “We strongly urge Iran to halt this activity, and return to compliance with its JCPoA commitments without further delay if it is serious about preserving the deal”. The statement comes from the foreign ministers of German, French and Britain. 

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Recently, EU officials supervising the agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear ambitions have warned that Tehran's decision to ramp up uranium enrichment could undermine efforts to keep the deal alive and bring the United States back on board. According to AP reports, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the country’s aim of enriching uranium up to 20 percent at the Fordo facility is a "very serious" development. He also said that it is a matter of concern as it has "very severe proliferation implications”. After US President Donald Trump won the elections in 2016, he withdrew the United States from the Obama-era deal, calling it "rotten".

The United States left the Joint Comprehensive Plan for Action (JCPOA) in 2018 despite other members urging it not to do so. The US reimposed all sanctions on Iran, pushing Tehran to violate the deal because one of the key agreements of the agreement was that all economic embargoes against the Islamic Republic would be lifted and, in return, it will cap the enrichment purity level. 

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Meanwhile, Joe Biden expressed his hopes about making the US a part of the deal again. Regarding this, Borrell said, "At this critical juncture, Iran’s action also risks undermining efforts aimed at building upon the existing diplomatic process. We urge Iran to refrain from further escalation and reverse this course of action without delay”.

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Also Read: Iran Warns Of Expelling United Nations Nuclear Inspectors If US Doesn't Lift Sanctions

(Image Credits: AP)