Iran to continue scaling back compliance with nuclear pact unless other countries show 'positive signals'


Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday affirmed Tehran will continue to cease complying with certain aspects of the 2015 nuclear deal if other signatories do not soon start showing "positive signals." He did not provide many specifics, including what, exactly, those positive signals would be. Other signatories include China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany — the U.S. withdrew from the pact last year.
Tehran announced in May it would start enriching uranium again unless other world powers ignored U.S. sanctions within 60 days. The European signatories have said they want to save the nuclear pact, but several European companies have complied with Washington's sanctions after facing financial pressure from the U.S.
"Obviously Iran cannot stick to this agreement unilaterally," Rouhani said at a meeting with Russian, Chinese, and other Asian leaders in Tajikistan.
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Rouhani did not mention the recent attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman earlier this week, amid speculation that Iran was behind the act. Tehran has denounced any such accusations, calling them "ridiculous" and "dangerous."
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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
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