France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the European Union have urged Iran to adhere to the terms of the 2015 international nuclear agreement. A UN report reveals that Iran is enriching more uranium than permitted, and Iran has threatened to completely withdraw from the treaty.
In a joint statement, the European signatories of the nuclear deal with Iran called on the Islamic Republic to comply with the agreement's conditions "without delay."
Iran’s decision to resume low-enriched uranium enrichment at its underground nuclear facility was confirmed by the latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), published Monday evening. According to the IAEA report, Tehran is currently stockpiling nearly twice the amount of low-enriched uranium allowed under the 2015 agreement. The UN report also concluded that Iran is building a new plant for testing nuclear centrifuges. Tehran has stated that its nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes.
In 2015, the Iranian nuclear deal led to the lifting of international sanctions against the country, provided Iran refrained from developing a nuclear bomb. Since then, the Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and imposed new sanctions on Iran. President Trump has also threatened economic sanctions against European companies and institutions that do not comply with the US embargo on Iran.
So far, the European Union has sought to uphold the deal with Iran and aims to compensate for damage Iran suffers due to the US actions. Tehran believes the EU should do more. However, EU countries point out to Iranian leaders that their violations of the agreement’s terms have negative consequences. EU foreign ministers yesterday in Brussels gave Iran a veiled warning that the EU may need to invoke the punitive measures set out in the nuclear deal.
EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Federica Mogherini urged Iran to comply with the nuclear agreement or take action. According to EU diplomats, the EU waited until the IAEA report was issued to verify the enrichment. Now that the report is available, the EU can raise the issue at the UN Security Council. According to Brussels, that would further complicate matters for Iran. Mogherini said the EU foreign ministers did not discuss sanctions during their meeting but that it is “becoming increasingly difficult” to save the nuclear agreement.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has already proposed reinstating international sanctions against Iran. Iran has repeatedly warned the remaining parties to the deal — the UK, China, France, Germany, and Russia — that the agreement can only be saved if these countries help Iran circumvent the US sanctions.