TEHRAN - Ali Akbar Salehi, the chief the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), has said that the European Union's action to save the 2015 nuclear deal, officially called the JCPOA, was good but just on the paper.

Salehi made the comments in interview with the national TV after addressing the 63rd regular session of International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference in Vienna on Monday.

Addressing the conference, Salehi said the international community must unanimously condemn the United States’ destructive behavior toward the JCPOA and its economic terrorism against Iran.

Salehi also expressed regret that despite “such an unprecedented record of verification and transparency in the history of the IAEA, and the principled position of Iran on nuclear weapons, the nuclear deal has been called by the U.S. administration, the worst of the deals in the history of that country.”

Following is an excerpt of Salehi’s interview with the national TV: 

As it was said JCPOA was a critical agreement that it signed based on an international understanding. It really was a political achievement. Iran never wants to collapse the agreement. Unfortunately, it was the U.S. government that by withdrawing from the JCPOA put it in a dilemma. The EU had promised to make up the damages of the U.S. action (sanctions) but they didn't do enough on this. They were good on the paper but we didn't see any useful actions in practice. 

So after a year of enduring this damage and disturbance on the JCPOA in the international arena, with its “strategic patience” Iran has decided to make a balance in the agreement based on paragraph 36 of the JCPOA.

We have declared that the JCPOA is not a one-way agreement but it is a two-way one. If it should be in force all the sides should abide by their commitments. So we made these three steps.

I tried in my speech in IAEA's general conference to awaken their conscience that what should have we done after the withdrawal of the U.S. from the JCPOA? And what should we have done with these maximum pressure? I asked the representatives who were participating in the General conference that what would they have done if they were us? 

We are keen that the international community make a fair judgment on U.S. behaviors. And we tried to enlighten the situation and as you saw the U.S. representative was so angry and outlined subjects that had nothing to do with the General Conference agenda. She pointed to political and the regional issues and it is obvious that the U.S. is suffering from a comprehensive political mess to expose its positions. And I think that if you look at the EU's statement it was a good answer to the U.S. envoy's speech.

As I said what Iran has done was practical and good and reversible. The EU is also doing its best as they say. They say that the U.S. is a country which is superpower in technology and fiscal fields and created obstacles to EU not to cooperate with Iran. But Iran's President Hassan Rouhani with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron are consulting to lift obstacles and save the JCPOA. 

PA/PA