European signatories to JCPoA urge Iran to reverse breach of nuclear limit

European signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) on Tuesday urged Iran to reverse its decision to exceed the limit on enriched uranium reserves set under the nuclear deal. A joint statement by the top diplomats from the European Union, France, Germany and the UK read, "We have been consistent and clear that our commitment to the nuclear deal depends on full compliance by Iran. We regret this decision by Iran, which calls into question an essential instrument of nuclear nonproliferation."

"We urge Iran to reverse this step and to refrain from further measures that undermine the nuclear deal. We are urgently considering next steps under the terms" of the nuclear deal in close coordination with other nuclear deal participants," the statement added, as cited by Xinhua news agency. Citing an "informed source," Iran's Fars news agency on Monday had reported that Iran has exceeded the amount of enriched uranium that it was allowed to have under a 2015 nuclear deal (officially called JCPoA).

The country stopped complying with some elements of the agreement in May, a year after the US unilaterally withdrew from the deal. The agreement was signed with an aim to limit Iran's civilian energy programme, thereby preventing it from developing nuclear weapons at some point in the future, in exchange for relief from sanctions that were crippling the country's economy.

The deal was hailed as a major diplomatic victory by the Obama administration. However, last year, Donald Trump-led US government had withdrawn from the deal, terming it as "defective at its core". Washington's decision of pulling out from the agreement soured its ties with Iran. In the past year, the Trump administration has slapped a multitude of sanctions on Tehran citing the latter's support to state-sponsored terrorism and conflicts. 

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