MNA – Spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi has reacted to a statement by three major European countries on the JCPOA.

In a statement last Saturday, France, Germany and the United Kingdom welcomed the decision by 6 other European countries to join the EU financial mechanism for trade with Iran to bypass US sanctions known as the INSTEX, while reaffirming their readiness to consider all mechanisms in the JCPOA, including the dispute resolution mechanism, to resolve the issues related to Iran’s implementation of its JCPOA commitments.

The snapback or trigger mechanism incorporated in the JCPOA is a tool that allows the old United Nations sanctions to be reimposed on Iran without a vote on the Council.

“Using trigger mechanism is legally improper because the Europeans have failed to fulfill their obligations [under the nuclear deal],” the Spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi said in reference to the E3 statement.

The Senior Iranian nuclear official added "on the one hand, Iran has not pulled out of the framework of the JCPOA. As such, there is no reason to implement this mechanism.”

He further pointed out that taking four nuclear steps so far have been based on appropriate planning, adding that if need be, the Iranian nuclear agency will act based on any decision by relevant authorities like the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC).