Iran to take 'stronger third nuclear step': FM

By Ahmet Dursun

ANKARA (AA) - The Iranian foreign minister has said the country's third step on scaling down commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal will be "stronger" than the previous ones.

"The third step will be definitely stronger than the previous ones. We have conveyed our options to Europe," Javad Zarif said, speaking in Sweden's Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on Wednesday.

He said the third step will be taken if the gains of Iran from the agreement are not protected.

Zarif said abolishing the nuclear deal will open a Pandora's box.

"While [US] President [Donald] Trump is unpredictable himself, he cannot expect others to follow predictable policies," he added.

Iran is curtailing its commitments under the nuclear deal in a retaliatory move following the U.S.' unilateral withdrawal from the agreement between Tehran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany and the EU.

The U.S. has since embarked upon a diplomatic and economic campaign to ramp up pressure on Iran to force it to renegotiate the agreement.

The nuclear deal allows Iran to reduce its commitments in case of breaches by other parties. Tehran wants the EU to act more actively regarding the implementation of its part of obligations, saying it will return to full compliance with the deal once the EU has nullified the U.S. sanctions.

* Writing by Fatih Hafiz Mehmet