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UN Chief Urges Iran to Comply With Nuclear Deal After Enrichment Boost - Spokesman

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls on Iran to continue complying with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) after the country breached the international deal's uranium enrichment limits, UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq said in a press briefing on Monday.
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"The Secretary-General is aware of this announcement that Iran may have been begun enriching uranium beyond the 3.67 percent limit set by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ... He encourages the Islamic Republic of Iran to continue implementing all its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA, as the participants continue to seek ways to overcome the considerable challenges the country faces," Haq said.

Moscow, following Tehran’s recent steps on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has called not to give in to emotions.

"The statements made by representatives of the Foreign Ministry and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran at the press conference in Tehran on July 7 about the firm intention to take the next step in terms of gradually giving up obligations under the nuclear deal should not cause a stir," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"This is exclusively Iran’s voluntary commitments taken in a spirit of compromise and for the sake of signing the JCPOA. At the same time, the terms of the deal were long and grossly violated. And, as we all know, Iran did not do this,” it said.

It said Iran continued to comply with all legal commitments to the IAEA.

"Decisive steps are also needed in other areas. There should be no giving in to emotions: the opponents of the nuclear deal are just waiting to quickly make it history," the ministry said.

Earlier on Monday, Iran said it started to enrich uranium beyond the 3.67 percent limit outlined in the JCPOA. The move came in response to JCPOA signatories' failure to protect Iran's economic interests.

On May 8, 2018, Washington fully withdrew from the JCPOA and began reimposing sanctions on Iran. A year later, Tehran announced its decision to suspend some of its obligations under the agreement, giving the other nuclear deal signatories - France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia, China and the European Union - 60 days to save the accord by facilitating oil exports and trade with Iran amid US sanctions.

Iran on Sunday announced that it would further reduce its obligations under the nuclear deal due to the fact that JCPOA member states were unable to save the accord within 60 days. Tehran said it would begin the process of enriching uranium above the level of 3.67 percent stipulated by the nuclear deal.

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