Iran lived up to JCPOA bargain, US didn't: Mogherini's adviser

Speaking about Iran's decision to cut back on implementing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in the face of the EU's inability to protect the landmark deal, Nathalie Tocci said she could see why Iran would arrive at that decision.

"I understand the move from the perspective of Iranian domestic politics, I mean ultimately the truth is that the JCPOA foresaw... let's call it a grand bargain and that grand bargain included" the removal of sanctions and limits to Iran's nuclear program, she said Wednesday.

Iran has truly "lived up to its side of the bargain and the United States has not," the diplomat added.

Iran on Wednesday informed the UK, France, China, Russia and Germany -- the remaining five signatories of the deal after America's exit on May 8 last year -- that it was suspending some of its commitments under the deal.

The decision came after Tehran gave the three European signatories "considerable" time at their own request to compensate for Washington’s withdrawal and guarantee Iran’s interests.

Iran said in a statement that it will no longer consider itself committed to the limits agreed under the deal on its stocks of enriched uranium and heavy water stocks.

Under the JCPOA, Iran is allowed to keep 300 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 3.67 percent. The deal requires Tehran to sell off any enriched uranium above the limit on international markets in return for natural uranium.

Tehran’s stock of heavy water is also restricted to 130 tonnes under the deal, which also calls for Iran’s excess heavy water to be sold to a foreign buyer.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has given Iran’s partners in the deal “60 days to meet their commitments, especially in the banking and oil sectors,” said the statement.

'EU on difficult journey to regain autonomy'
Tocci implied that Iran had to give the EU even more time because the 28-member bloc was trying to become independent from Washington.

"I understand the move [but] I do not share it because the way in which I see this is because of the fact that the Europeans are on a slow and painful and difficult journey towards affirming their own autonomy vis-à-vis the United States," she added.

The EU diplomat said the issue was going to get a lot more difficult to handle if Iran "plays and eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" with Washington.

She said Iran is in the same situation today that the United States was going through before President Donald Trump decided to pull the country out of the nuclear deal.

Tocci predicted that as a next step, Iran would seek to negotiate an alternative to the JCPOA with the EU alone.

"Given that the architecture of the JCPOA did actually have the United States as being a key pillar within this agreement, ultimately what the Iranians are probably trying to look for now is an alternative agreement which basically foresees a deal with the Europeans full-stop."