Amid continuing US sanctions, Javad Zarif urges Europe to normalise economic ties with Iran

Iran on Sunday reiterated its threat to further withdraw from its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) in case the European countries do not normalise economic ties with Tehran amid continued US sanctions.

"The Europeans and other signatories of the JCPOA should normalize economic ties with Iran. We will halt our commitments or will take action in accordance with their measures," Russia Today quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as saying.

The country has already partially withdrawn from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal (officially called JCPoA) that it had signed with the USA, UK, France, Germany, China, and Russia under Obama administration. The withdrawal implied that Iran no longer had any limits for the production of enriched uranium.

The JCPoA was signed with an aim to limit Iran's civilian energy programme, thereby preventing it from developing nuclear weapons at some point in the future, in exchange for relief from sanctions that were crippling the country's economy.

The deal was hailed as a major diplomatic victory by the Obama administration. However, last year, Donald Trump-led US government had withdrawn from the deal, terming it as "defective at its core".

Washington's decision of pulling out from the agreement soured its ties with Iran. In the past year, the Trump administration has slapped a multitude of sanctions on Tehran citing the latter's support to state-sponsored terrorism and conflicts.

Tensions between the two countries further escalated on May 11 when Pentagon approved the deployment of Patriot missile defence battery and a Navy ship to the Middle East. Pentagon said the deployment was in response to "indications of heightened Iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations against US forces and interests.