Iran: E3 decision to keep arms embargo goes against JCPOA, UN resolution

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has strongly reacted to a decision by the European Union and European trio (E3) not to lift the arms embargo against Iran, saying this move is “illegal” and contravenes their commitments under UN Security Council resolution 2231 that endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal.
In a joint statement on Thursday, the E3 – Britain, France, and Germany – said they would retain their sanctions in a “direct response to Iran’s consistent and severe noncompliance” with the nuclear accord, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The European sides said they will keep their sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear program and its development of ballistic missiles.
The measures were to expire in October under a timetable spelled out in the nuclear deal signed in July 2005 between Iran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (Britain, France, China, Russia, and the U.S.) Germany, and the European Union.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran, in response to the illegal exit of the United States (from the JCPOA) and reactivation of oppressive sanctions, took compensatory measures in accordance to paragraphs 26 and 36 of the JCPOA and these steps are completely in accordance to terms of the JCPOA,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The United States left the nuclear accord in May 2018 and returned economic and financial sanctions lifted under the agreement. Yet, Iran remained fully loyal to the terms of the agreement for an entire year. After a year, Iran announced that its “strategic patience” was over and started to gradually remove bans on its nuclear activities. However, Iran said if the European parties to the nuclear agreement compensate for the U.S. sanctions measures it will reverse its decisions.