Iran is running out of patience on staying committed to the nuclear deal

Tabnak – Despite persistently declaring political support for Iran against the unilateral American position on the 2015 nuclear deal, the European countries have yet to take a practical step in preserving the deal. The Europeans’ failure is apparently leading Iran toward revising its own commitment to the nuclear deal.

In this vein, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi has warned that Tehran's patience is running out over the failure of the European Union's economic pledges to deliver any "tangible results."

Salehi, who is in the Belgian capital of Brussels to attend the third seminar on peaceful nuclear cooperation, made the remarks in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday ahead of a meeting with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. He said the EU's efforts were encouraging but added: "We have not yet seen any tangible results."

"So, they [Europeans] are promising us that they are doing their best to be able to translate all that they have said in political terms and to turn it into realization, in other words, to materialize what they have said," Salehi said.

"So, we wait and see. But I will pass certainly a word of caution to her (Mogherini) that I think the period of patience for our people is getting more limited and limited," he added. "We are running out of the assumed timeline, which was in terms of months."

The Iranian nuclear chief further warned that Tehran has the technical capacity to resume its 20 percent uranium enrichment if it fails to enjoy the economic benefit of the JCPOA.

"It is very easy for us to go back to what we were before - even to a better position," he said. "We can start the 20 percent enrichment activity. We can increase the amount of the enriched uranium."

Salehi noted that Iran is currently limited to 300 kilograms enriched uranium but can increase the amount, adding, "And so, there are so many other things we can do, but I wish that we never reach that stage."

Elsewhere in the interview, the AEOI head said Iran welcomes EU efforts to establish a special financial vehicle for non-dollar trade with Tehran but only if it could preserve the country's oil exports.

"It (the SPV) could be helpful in keeping the deal alive. If there is nothing to reap then what is the purpose of us staying in because voices in Iran are day by day becoming more against the deal," Salehi said. "If we cannot sell our oil and we don't enjoy financial transactions, then I don't think keeping the deal will benefit us anymore," he pointed out.

Addressing the nuclear cooperation seminar on Monday, Salehi criticized the US administration's efforts to prevent the implementation of the historic nuclear agreement through exerting pressure on other countries to make them pursue Washington's policies vis-a-vis the deal.

"This unconstructive US approach shows that this country, as a permanent member of the [United Nations] Security Council, is not committed to its international obligations," the AEOI head said.