Russia: Iran deal dispute mechanism could be harmful

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The launch of the Iran nuclear deal dispute mechanism could have negative consequences, Russia warned Tuesday.

The U.K., Germany, and France announced Tuesday that they would activate the dispute mechanism of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal due to Tehran’s continuous violations of the accord.

"The possibility of implementing a dispute mechanism is indeed provided for in the JCPOA [nuclear deal]. The question is how timely this step is and whether it will have negative consequences. The justification of this step is very doubtful, to put it mildly," Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency and other organizations in Vienna, wrote on Twitter.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, was signed in 2015 with the purpose of stopping Iran's nuclear weapons development.

The deal suggested lifting sanctions in exchange for putting limits on the Iran nuclear program.

In May 2018, the U.S. withdrew from the agreement, igniting gradual cutting of the obligations by Iran, who accused the European signatories of the deal of delaying implementation of their responsibilities under the deal.

On Jan. 5, Iran announced that it was fully withdrawing from the deal in the wake of the U.S. killing of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani.