Iran Plans to Reduce JCPOA Commitments

Iran is reducing its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action because it said other JCPOA “parties do not abide by theirs,” according to a June 18 press release by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

Iran said it will increase its enriched uranium production “four times over” to exceed the “300kg” limit set by the JCPOA. Iran will surpass the limit by June 27 and “the increase will go on,” the press release said. The country also plans to increase its heavy water production and reserves beyond the JCPOA’s limit if it cannot find “international markets” to purchase it, the AEOI said. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on the sale of heavy water, according to a post on the EU Sanctions site. “Trump has asked a ban on heavy water purchase from Iran,” an AEOI spokesperson said in the press release. “If this occurs, the facility will not be decommissioned, and we enjoy both domestic and international demand.”

The spokesperson continued to criticize U.S. policy, saying “Americans claimed to refrain from imposing embargo on medicine and food products. But they imposed sanctions on our radiopharmaceutical company and related individual.” The AEOI called the move “inhuman,” saying despite the move, Iran was “able to meet domestic demand and even keep up the exports.”

Iran said it has given the EU time to mitigate the damages to Iran caused by the U.S. withdrawing from the deal in 2018. “We offered a one year opportunity to the Europeans and endured a strategic tolerance. There is still time to reach a decision. If nothing is done, it points to their either unwillingness or inability due to domestic factors or weakness to face a powerful rival,” Iran said. “If we notice positive signs, we will go back to our admitted obligations within the framework of JCPOA.”

The announcement came about a month after Iran warned that it would suspend its JCPOA commitments in 60 days if the “E3, Russia and China” did not “fulfill their banking and oil commitments to Iran” (see 1905080058). The EU responded by saying it would reject all ultimatums proposed by Iran (see 1905100022).