Iran warns will stop negotiations if Europe wastes time

A senior Iranian nuclear negotiator says Iran will not continue talks with European sides of its nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), if it feels that European countries are wasting time.

"We will continue negotiations with the Europeans as long as we feel that they are moving in the right path and observing Iran's time frame," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araqchi told reporters on Sunday.

He added that Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs would definitely pay heed to the Iranian nation's interests and would stop further talks with Europeans if they waste time and dawdle.

US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that Washington was walking away from the nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was reached between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the US, Britain, France, Russia and China - plus Germany.

Trump also said he would reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose "the highest level" of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that US enmity toward Iran was profound, but noted that all American plots against the country had failed since the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

PressTV-Leader: All US plots against Iran have failed

The Leader says US enmity with Iran is deep but all American plots against the country have failed since the victory of the Islamic Revolution.

During a meeting with heads of the three branches of the Iranian government as well as officials in Tehran, Ayatollah Khamenei referred to what he called “the fundamental, deep and constant enmity” of the US toward the Islamic Republic, adding that Iran would definitely defeat the US if Iranian officials fulfilled their duties.

Since the US president pulled Washington out of the historic nuclear deal, European countries have been scrambling to ensure that Iran gets enough economic benefits to persuade it to stay in the deal.

An Iranian official said on Friday that Iran expects European powers to give it a package of economic measures by the end of May to compensate it for Washington's withdrawal.

"We expect the package to be given to us by the end of May," he said, adding, "I'm sorry to say that we haven't seen the Plan B yet. The Plan B has just started to be figured out."

Elsewhere in his remarks and in response to a question about talks with the remaining members of the nuclear accord, Araqchi said, "The Islamic Republic of Iran has not yet made any final decision whether it will remain in the JCPOA or not."

Any decision about Iran possibly staying in the JCPOA would depend on the negotiations within the next few weeks, he added.

The Iranian senior negotiator also pointed to his recent talks with the remaining parties to the JCPOA in Vienna, saying that Iran has called on European countries to meet its demands under the deal after the US exit and also to present their proposals and practical solutions with necessary assurances.

Read more:

• Trump's new strategies will further isolate US: Iranian FM
• US unilateral sanctions on Iran harmful: Russia's Putin
• Iran asserts enrichment right, says global developments foreign to Pompeo
• US to lose most from JCPOA withdrawal: Leader's aide

After the US withdrawal, five signatories to the JCPOA and Iran met in Vienna on May 25 at Iran's request and emphasized the importance of working together to explore ways to save the accord.

The parties indicated more confidence was built after the meeting in the capital of Austria.

It was the first meeting between China, Russia, France, Britain, Germany and Iran in a bid to save the Iran nuclear deal.

Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said on May 15 that European signatories to the landmark nuclear agreement should compensate for the United States' decision to pull out of the deal.

PressTV-'Europeans should make up for US JCPOA exit'

Iran's nuclear chief says Europeans should make up for the United States' decision to pull out of the JCPOA.

"If the Europeans do not give assurances, we are ready to return to much more advanced conditions than before the [signing of the] JCPOA," Iran's nuclear chief said.

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