Iran has not violated JCPOA, says Foreign Minister

Denying the US claims, Iran has said that it never violated the terms of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as Iran nuclear deal.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Monday said that his country has not violated the 2015 Iran nuclear deal as it has taken all decisions while strictly sticking to the 'dispute resolution mechanism' mentioned in it.

"We have NOT violated the #JCPOA. Para 36 of the accord illustrates why: We triggered & exhausted para 36 after US withdrawal. We gave E3+2 a few weeks while reserving our right. We finally took action after 60 weeks. As soon as E3 abide by their obligations, we'll reverse," tweeted Zarif.

Following reports that Iran has begun enriching uranium beyond limits outlined in the nuclear agreement, the US accused the country of violating a 2015 nuclear deal. Washington also threatened Tehran that it would never allow the country to develop nuclear weapons.

"There is little doubt that even before the deal's existence, Iran was violating its terms," said the White House in a statement. "We must restore the longstanding nonproliferation standard of no enrichment for Iran. The United States and its allies will never allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons."

"Maximum pressure on the Iranian regime will continue until its leaders alter their course of action," it added. "The regime must end its nuclear ambitions and its malign behaviour."

Citing an "informed source," Iran's Fars news agency had reported that Iran has exceeded the amount of enriched uranium that it was allowed to have under a 2015 nuclear deal (officially called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA]).Reacting to it, US President Donald Trump said that Iran is "playing with fire".

"They [Iran] know what they're doing," Al Jazeera quoted Trump as saying. "They know what they're playing with, and I think they're playing with fire."

Tehran had stopped complying with some elements of the agreement in May, a year after the US unilaterally withdrew from the deal.

The agreement 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 However, last year, Donald Trump-led US government had withdrawn from the deal, terming it as "defective at its core".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.