Last December, the Iranian parliament passed a law giving the government two months to negotiate the easing of US sanctions. If they are in effect, it should change its position in the execution of the contract. The deadline is February 21st.
Iranian Representative Qasim Karibabadi has now announced on Twitter that he will partially suspend cooperation with the IAEA. “The IAEA was informed today (Monday) that the law will be implemented as per the timetable and that there will be time to prepare for the new approach.”
US sanctions prevent Iran from trading oil and gas. Secretary of State Abbas Araki says it is important to resume sales of raw materials and release frozen money in banks, otherwise, for him, the 2015 deal would not make sense.
Tehran promises to change US policy with the new administration of President Joe Biden. His predecessor Donald Trump pulled out of the deal in 2018 and imposed sanctions. Iran ceased to comply with the agreement in 2019 and stopped re-enriching uranium above its permissible limits and building up its reserves, which renewed concerns about the nature of its nuclear program. He says he is quiet, and some states suspect the military.
Assistance from Japan and the European Union
U.S. sanctions combined with the corona virus outbreak have triggered a deepening economic crisis in Iran. In an interview with the Japanese agency Kyoto, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said he hoped Japan and the EU would help lift sanctions. “We expect Japan to be a friend, especially when it comes to international law. The United States is violating it. The best thing Japan can do is show that it does not want to comply with the illegal decisions of the Americans.”
He also called for the release of frozen Iranian money in banks. According to Zarif, there are tens of billions of dollars (212 billion crowns) in banks in Japan and South Korea.