“For Europeans, they have made the important decision to make a decision right away with a snapback of sanctions, as Iran clearly does not comply with the current contract,” Rubio said he left Paris after discussing with his European counterparts, according to AFP.
“As you saw, the IAEA was in Tehran yesterday, uh, Iran has issued an official statement so far saying it is close to nuclear weapons,” he further argued.
“So, we obviously discussed that because the European E3 has decided to do a snapback.”
“Based on yesterday’s public comments, I think we should expect that we are not only trying to get reports from the IAEA that Iran is not only out of compliance, but that Iran is also saying it is dangerously close to its weapons.”
“They need to decide whether they want to reimpose these sanctions, and um, if Iran is out of compliance, they must reorder the sanctions.”
“That’s going to be a factor in all of these things, and that’s why it was important that we talked to them about it before the discussions on Saturday.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in Paris for consultations with European leaders on Ukraine and its future security. Rubio’s hostile comments come a day after Iran and US negotiators hold a second session of indirect negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program and lifting sanctions.
In his first term in May 2018, US President Donald Trump withdrew the US from a groundbreaking nuclear deal in 2015 known as the JCPOA, which imposed curbs on Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.
Tehran stuck to the deal until Washington left, but began rolling back some of its commitments.
All Iran’s nuclear activities are under surveillance by the United Nations Nuclear Monitoring (IAEA). Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, such as generating energy and medicines, or for agricultural purposes.
MNA