EU urges Iran to continue implementing commitments under JCPOA

The European Union (EU) on Thursday urged Iran to continue implementing its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) after the middle-eastern nation announced partial withdrawal from the deal.

They also rejected Iran's two-month ultimatum, adding that they regretted the re-imposition of sanctions by the United States, reports Xinhua. Washington pulled out of the 2015 deal last year, under the leadership of US President Donald Trump.

The High Representative of the European Union along with the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Britain highlighted that they remain fully committed to the preservation and full implementation of the JCPOA.

They further said that the Iran nuclear deal is "a key achievement of the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture, which is in the security interest of all.""We strongly urge Iran to continue to implement its commitments under the JCPOA in full as it has done until now and to refrain from any escalatory steps," the statement said.

"We reject any ultimatums and we will assess Iran's compliance on the basis of Iran's performance regarding its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA and the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons)," it further stated.

Iran on Wednesday announced partial withdrawal from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal signed with the USA, UK, France, Germany, China, and Russia. This means that Iran would stop exporting enriched uranium stocks as against what was stipulated by the 2015 agreement.

Tehran warned that the remaining signatories had 60 days before it would resume high-level enrichment of uranium.

The latest developments come amidst heightened tensions between Iran and the US in recent weeks, especially after Washington announced that no fresh sanction waivers will be issued for Iranian oil imports to eight countries, including India.