Zarif says Iran to further curb adherence to nuclear deal on September 6

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif threatens that Iran will further curb its adherence to the international agreement limiting its nuclear program next week.

“The third phase (of freezing nuclear obligations) will start on September 6,” Zarif tells the German Sueddeutsche Zeitung in an interview published today, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

He is quoted adding Iran will reassess the move if it reaches an agreement with European powers before then.

Iran has accused the EU signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal — Britain, France and Germany — of failing to provide sufficient economic relief since US President Donald Trump pulled out of the accord last May and reimposed sanctions on Tehran.

Trump has faulted the agreement, which was also signed by China and Russia, for not addressing Iran’s ballistic missile program or support of militant proxy groups in the region.

Amid the growing bite of US sanctions, Iran has twice scaled back its commitment to the nuclear deal in recent months and in June the UN’s atomic watchdog did not explicitly state that the Islamic Republic is in compliance, the first time it has not done since the accord was inked.

The publication of the interview came as Zarif ruled out the possibility of a meeting between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Trump, after the latter said yesterday alongside his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that such a sitdown could soon be in the works if the right conditions were met.

Trump’s announcement came a day after Zarif received a sudden invite from Macron to meet on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in France.