Iran Announces Last Step to Reduce Commitments to 2015 Nuclear Deal

Iranian government on Sunday announced the decision to take fifth and final step in reducing commitment under the 2015 nuclear deal.

In a statement, the government said it has decided to take the fifth and final step in reducing its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal it had with world powers, which is officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

In the fifth step, Iran will end restrictions on the number of its centrifuge machines,” the statement noted, adding that Iran will no longer commit to any limits on the level of uranium enrichment, stockpile of nuclear fuel and also nuclear research and development.

In May 2018, Trump pulled his country out of the JCPOA.

Iran and the remaining parties launched talks to save the JCPOA after the US withdrawal, but the three EU parties to the deal (France, Britain, and Germany) have failed to ensure Iran’s economic interests.

The EU’s inaction forced Tehran to stop honoring certain commitments to the nuclear deal, including a rise in the stockpile of enriched uranium.

Iran maintains that the new measures are not designed to harm the JCPOA but to save the accord by creating a balance in the commitments.