The US is hindering to European Union's adherence to Iran's historic nuclear deal, says Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Zarif made the remark on his official twitter account late on Monday, following a meeting with France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
"In meeting today, told France FM: EU should compel US to abide by JCPOA rather than trying to appease it by repeating its extraneous demands. To defend the nuclear agreement, mere words are not sufficient. Especially since the US is an obstacle to EU's own adherence to JCPOA," he said.
Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the US, France, Britain, Russia and China – plus Germany signed the nuclear agreement on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.
Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly described the JCPOA, which was negotiated under his predecessor, Barack Obama, as “the worst and most one-sided transaction Washington has ever entered into,” a characterization he often used during his presidential campaign, and threatened to tear it up.
Trump has threatened to pull out of the JCPOA unless Congress and America's European allies help "fix" it with a follow-up agreement within a 120-day deadline.
"US & Europeans should stop pouring hundreds of billions of dollars of weapons into our region instead of questioning Iran's missiles. Not restricted by UNSC, but necessary to deter repeat of our people’s suffering when Saddam—with western support—showered us with missiles," he added.
In September 1980, Iraq’s former dictator Saddam Hussein attacked Iran. The war lasted for 8 years and left hundreds of thousands of victims on both sides.
Zarif added that Tehran's stance on solving the situations in Yemen and Syria has always been a political one and that the Islamic Republic has always pushed for peace in the Middle East.
"Iran offered political solutions for Syria and Yemen from the outset, and has always been ready to work for peace in the region, but with serious partners sharing the same objective and not engaged in appeasement gimmicks," he added.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc in the country.
Saudi Arabia has been incessantly pounding Yemen since March 2015 in an attempt to crush the popular Ansarullah movement and reinstate former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who is a staunch ally of the Riyadh regime.
At least 13,600 people have been killed since the onset of Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against Yemen. Much of the Arabian Peninsula country's infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and factories, has been reduced to rubble due to the war.
Earlier, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says everyone will regret the possible collapse of the landmark nuclear agreement reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries.
"The survival of the JCPOA will prove to the world that negotiations and diplomacy are the best options to solve problems," said Rouhani during a meeting with Le Drian.
