Dubai, Sep 4: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday offered European powers two months to save the landmark 2015 International Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, but cautioned Tehran was looking forward to further breaches of the accord that would expectedly have “extraordinary effects”.
Rouhani’s statement comes as officials in Tehran pictured mixed signals in reply to a French proposal to secure the international nuclear deal by offering $15 billion to Iran in credit lines until 2019 end if the Islamic Republic returns fully to its formal compliances and commitments, according to Reuters.
Once a top-level Iranian official stated the nation would comply with the obligations to the pact if it received the amount in oil sales or credit line, while state-run Press TV claimed Tehran had dismissed that French proposal in place for a European Union (EU) debt of that capital.
Rouhani had also threatened to pursue further measures after September 5 unless Paris and other European signatories of the accord did additional to secure Iran from heavy impact of the US sanctions.
“I think it is unlikely that we will reach a result with Europe by today or tomorrow … Europe will have another two-months to fulfil its commitments,” Rouhani said, according to state TV.
He said Tehran would continue with its plans to violate the accord further and boost its nuclear programme.
“The third step (in reducing Iran’s commitments) will be the most important one and it will have extraordinary effects,” state-run TV reported him as saying.
Initially, Iranian officials stated they were mulling over the French offer, but on Wednesday, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi seemed to come back to its main terms.
“Our return to the full implementation of the nuclear accord is subject to the receipt of $15 billion over a four-month period, otherwise the process of reducing Iran’s commitments will continue,” the semi-official news agency Fars quoted Araqchi as saying.
Soon after this, Iran’s Press TV issued a short report saying: “Iran has rejected a $15 billion loan offered by EU,” without giving further details. Western and Iranian sources had described the French plan as the offer of a credit line, not a loan, although the precise details have not been made public.”
Tehran has reiterated its claim its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, including for electricity generation.