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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron Saturday, warning him Iran would take the next step in reducing its nuclear commitments unless Europe lives up to its own undertakings.
Tensions have spiked in the Gulf since May last year when President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Macron has been leading efforts to de-escalate the situation and he expressed hopes of bringing together Rouhani and Trump for a meeting during a G7 summit days ago.
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Macron says G7 agreed on joint action over Iran to defuse tensions
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani meets with French President Emmanuel Macron at the UN headquarters New York City, U.S., September 25, 2018. /VCG Photo
But Rouhani has downplayed the likelihood of that happening unless the United States first lifts crippling sanctions that it has slapped on Iran since pulling out of the deal.
"If Europe cannot operationalize its commitments, Iran will take its third step to reduce its JCPOA commitments," Rouhani reportedly told Macron in the phone call.
However, "this step, just like the other ones, will be reversible," he added, quoted on the Iranian government's website.
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President Hassan Rouhani delivering a speech that Iran will no longer respect limits it agreed on about the 2015 nuclear deal in Tehran, Iran, May 8, 2019. /VCG Photo
"Unfortunately after this unilateral move by the U.S., European countries did not take concrete measures to implement their commitments," he continued.
"The contents of JCPOA are unchangeable and all parties must be committed to its contents," he said.
Rouhani said Iran had two priorities: for all parties to the JCPOA to fully implement their obligations and "securing the safety of all free maritime transportation in all waterways including the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz."
Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi and government spokesperson Ali Rabiei delivering a message about enriching uranium beyond a 3.67 percent cap in Tehran, Iran, July 7, 2019. /VCG Photo
Twelve months on from the U.S. pulling out of the nuclear deal, Iran began reducing its commitments.
The United Nation's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Friday that just over 10 percent of Iran's uranium stockpile was now enriched up to 4.5 percent, above the 3.67 percent limit stipulated in the 2015 deal.
It also said Iran's total stockpile of uranium, which under the accord should be no more than the equivalent of 300 kilograms (661 pounds) of uranium hexafluoride, now stood at roughly 360 kilograms.
Iran has not specified what its third step might be in reducing its commitments to the deal.