Iran Blames Europe for Breaking Nuclear Accord

Iran has publicly accused the United Kingdom, France, and Germany of failing to honor their responsibilities under the 2015 nuclear deal, following renewed threats to reinstate sanctions.

The agreement, forged between Iran and major global powers—including the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany—was designed to limit Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for economic relief. But it began to collapse when the United States pulled out of the deal in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump and reinstated economic sanctions.

While European countries initially pledged to uphold the agreement, Iran says they have fallen short. According to Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei, Western partners did not implement the required economic mechanisms to shield Iran from US sanctions, leading to widespread corporate withdrawals and economic strain.

“The European signatories failed in their obligations and neglected the terms of the deal,” Baqaei said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has since reported that Iran is enriching uranium to 60% purity—far above the 3.67% ceiling agreed in 2015, and alarmingly close to weapons-grade levels.

In response to the perceived violations, the European parties have threatened to trigger a UN process that could bring back sanctions. Baqaei dismissed their warnings as unjust and hypocritical.

“Iran only scaled back its commitments after facing continued breaches by the Western countries,” he stated, insisting that Tehran’s actions were in line with clauses built into the original agreement.