EU leaders voice concern over Tehran nuclear deal moves, call for stronger commitment

European leaders have expressed concern and dismay over Tehran’s decision to pull back on some of its commitments under the 2015 nuclear pact, with France warning that it could lead to sanctions.

French Defense Minister Florence Parly told BFM TV on Wednesday that nothing would be worse than Iran withdrawing from the deal, adding that France, Britain and Germany were doing all they could to keep the accord alive. However, she warned that if Tehran does not uphold its part of the deal, it could result in sanctions.

Germany said it regrets the statements made by Iran and urged Tehran not to take any aggressive steps. A Foreign Ministry spokesman added that Berlin is keen to keep the nuclear deal and intends to abide by its commitments, as long as Iran does the same.

Speaking on behalf of the British government, UK junior foreign minister Mark Field warned that there would be consequences if Iran stopped meeting its commitments under the nuclear deal.

He added that the UK remains committed to working on sanctions relief, and called on both Russia and China to pursue this goal as “diplomacy continues.” Field said the British government believes the deal is broadly working towards keeping Iran’s nuclear program peaceful, and that he hopes to visit the country in the near future.

Meanwhile, Theresa May’s spokesman said the prime minister is extremely concerned about Iran’s decision, and urges Tehran not to take any escalatory steps. While British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt called the announcement an “unwelcome step”.

China also responded to the news on Wednesday, with their Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang saying that the agreement should be fully implemented and that all sides have a responsibility to ensure this happens.

Earlier on Wednesday, Iranian President Rouhani announced on national television that a gradual scale-down of the country’s commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal would begin in 60 days, starting with a refusal to dispose of excessive heavy water and enriched uranium. Rouhani also said the move was a reciprocal response to the US’ withdrawal from the agreement.

The deal with Iran was signed by the EU and other world leaders to offer Tehran relief from sanctions in exchange for voluntary restrictions of its nuclear industry. Last year, the US broke its commitments under the deal, restored and extended sanctions, and attempted to prevent countries around the world from buying Iran’s oil.

Iranian media reported on Wednesday that the country plans to write to states still signed up to the deal, including Britain, France, Russia and China, to inform them of their plans to “diminish its commitments.” While it does not plan on pulling out of the deal, Iran will reportedly revive some nuclear activity that they had previously halted if an agreement is not reached before the 60-day deadline.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has accused their European allies of not protecting Tehran from US sanctions, stating that only Russia and China have supported the country and helped to keep the nuclear deal going.

“Yes, they made some nice statements,” Zarif said of comments from European leaders. “But in practice nothing happened.”

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