Iran urges EU to act on nuke deal

Tehran, Dec 25 (IANS) Iranian foreign minister on Monday criticised the Europeans for their "slow measures" to salvage Iranian 2015 international nuclear deal."The Europeans are acting slowly in the fulfillment of their commitments under the nuclear agreement (officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or the JCPOA)," Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying by Press TV."We will not wait for them unless they adopt practical steps," Zarif said, reports Xinhua news agency.He emphasised that Iran has many options to deal with the US withdrawal from the JCPOA and would consider them based on its national interests.Washington withdrew from Iran's landmark 2015 nuclear deal in May and imposed batches of sanctions against Tehran, targeting Iran's shipping, financial and energy sectors.Iran relies heavily on the European's assistance against the US pull out of the nuclear deal and their promises to guarantee Iran's interests under the 2015 accord.The EU has stressed that it would set up a legal entity to facilitate legitimate financial transactions with Iran in light of the US withdrawal from the international agreement.
--IANS vc