Rouhani on Wednesday appeared on TV to declare Iranian reciprocal action to US over the breach of JCPOA by scale-down of Iran’s commitments envisaged by Note 26 of the nuclear deal.

The president noted that “it does not mean that Iran leaves the nuclear agreement, known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).”

Noting that the pact is “beneficial to the region and the world and detrimental to the enemies of Iran,” Rouhani said Iran has always been and will remain committed to its responsibilities to the nuclear deal.

The president said the country will continue the efforts to stay in the pact despite the enemies’ wishes.

The enemies, including the American hardliners, Zionists, and the reactionaries in the region, were opposed to the international deal since the very moment it was reached, he added.

Rouhani noted that JCPOA has a national strategic foundation, it was not an individual or partisan or governmental issue, he said.

“Rather, it was a national decision which was made by the entire governing system.”

The people in the region, the Europeans and even the US allies and the international companies are suffering from the US policies, creating restrictions for the European companies doing business with Iran.

60-day moratorium to remaining parties 

Rouhani said Iran will give a 60-day moratorium to the parties to the deal to remedy the breaches and preserve Iran’s interests enshrined by JCPOA.

He further said that the European signatories to the deal were doing well in lip service, but they were unable to implement what they vowed.

Rouhani was referring to the Europeans’ pledge to take actions to neutralize the restrictions caused by the unilateral withdrawal.

He noted that based on a decision made by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, messages have been sent to the remaining five countries in the nuclear deal, announcing that Iran has done its part to give them the one year span they had requested.

We have done our part and it was our “strategic patience”.

However, he stressed that Iran is not leaving the deal, rather it is a new phase of the deal in the context and in line with the wording of the JCPOA.

“Articles of 26 and 36 entitled Iran to raise complaint about breach of the international deal in the joint commission.”

According to the Article 36, under the Dispute Resolution Mechanism, if Iran believed that any or all of the E3/EU+3 were not meeting their commitments under this JCPOA, the country could refer the issue to the Joint Commission for resolution.”

And based on the Article 26, the EU will refrain from re-introducing or re-imposing the sanctions that it has terminated implementing under this JCPOA, without prejudice to the dispute resolution process provided for under this JCPOA.

Rouhani stressed that after the said period, if the five countries come to the negotiation table to come to terms with Iran’s interests particularly with regard to oil and banking, we would return to the previous position.

Should they not comply with their responsibilities to the pact, Iran would not observe the 3.6% level of enrichment and the heavy water reactor restrictions, Rouhani said.