Iran: Nuclear deal's downfall should be prevented

By Askin Kiyagan

VIENNA (AA) - Iran said on Wednesday that the 2015 nuclear deal deserves "every effort" to prevent its downfall.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran also believes that JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] is an important international achievement which deserves every effort to be put into to prevent its downfall," Kazem Gharib Abadi, Iran's ambassador to the UN in Vienna, told a press conference.

Abadi said lasting disagreement over the deal would represent a serious failure for diplomacy and multilateralism.

"The destructive behavior of the United States and the economic terrorism pursued by its current administration against the Islamic Republic of Iran and some other countries should be stalled," he added.

Last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iran will soon take a third step in reducing its commitments under the nuclear deal in response to European countries failing to meet their commitments.

The Iran nuclear accord, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed in 2015 between Iran and Russia, China, France, the U.K. and the U.S. plus Germany.

Last year U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal and intensified pressure on Tehran by reimposing sanctions targeting the country’s energy and banking sectors.

Following the U.S. withdrawal, Iran now insists that Europe must provide it additional economic support if they want to save the deal.

* Writing by Fatih Hafiz Mehmet in Ankara