E3 joint statement about Iran 'very untimely'

"Very untimely indeed. Right at a critical moment at the #ViennaTalks and on the eve of the session of the #IAEA Board of Governors," said Mikhail Ulyanov who also leads the Russian delegation at the Vienna talks on Iran nuclear deal in reaction to the E3 joint statement.

In a futile move, the three major European powers have once again leveled accusations against the peaceful Iranian nuclear program in a bid to put more pressure on Tehran following the latest similar IAEA and US moves.

In a joint statement on Saturday, which seems to be coordinated with the US, France, Germany and Britain claimed that the final package put to Tehran had taken the European powers “to the limit of their flexibility.”

“Unfortunately, Iran has chosen not to seize this critical diplomatic opportunity,” they also claimed, assessing that “instead, Iran continues to escalate its nuclear program way beyond any plausible civilian justification.”

E3 further claimed that “This latest demand [by Iran regarding the safeguards issue] raises serious doubts as to Iran’s intentions and commitment to a successful outcome on the JCPOA,” France, Germany, and Britain. 

Iran has slammed the latest "unconstructive and ill-considered" statement issued by the three European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal, saying the E3 must accept the consequences if it continues to follow Israel’s lead.

"It is regrettable that by [issuing] such an ill-considered statement, the three European countries have followed in the footsteps of the Zionist regime down a path that will lead to the failure of negotiations," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan'ani said on Saturday.

Kan'ani warned the European trio against being swayed by third parties who have been against the negotiations and are now making their utmost effort to derail the talks.

After the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the JCPOA in 2018, Iran took steps away from the JCPOA while it announced it will reverse course and will fully abide by the deal once the other parties live up to their commitments and the illegal US sanctions imposed are fully lifted. Iran has strongly rejected the western countries' futile attempt to separate the issue of lifting illegitimate sanctions and Iran's cooperation with the IAEA.

The western powers approved a resolution at the IAEA Board of Governors in June to which Iran responded by reducing its cooperation with the agency and switching off 27 of the surveillance cameras.