"This action by the European Council is a blatant violation of the EU's commitments and the three European countries under the JCPOA and UN Resolution 2231, and is an act of bad faith,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Tuesday.
The comments came after EU member states said on Tuesday they were retaining their restrictive measures against Iran under "the non-proliferation sanctions regime" beyond a JCPOA deadline.
The sanctions were due to expire on October 18 under the nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which Tehran signed with the United States, China and Russia, Britain, France and Germany in 2015.
The US unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 and re-imposed tough economic sanctions against Iran, effectively putting its fate in limbo.
Kanaani rejected the European Council’s decision as “unilateral, illegal and politically unjustifiable.”
“Such a move contradicts the claims and approach of the EU and the three European countries regarding their commitment to the full implementation of the JCPOA,” he added.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian had sent two letters to the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, who is also the coordinator of the JCPOA Joint Commission, outlining the illegal foundations of the E3’s decision to retain the sanctions against Iran in violation of their commitments under the nuclear deal.
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