Iranian state TV: Ball in Europe's court on 2015 nuclear deal's future

DUBAI - It is up to Europe to shield Iran from US sanctions and prevent it from further scaling back compliance with its 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers, Iranian state TV said on Saturday, with only days left on Teheran's ultimatum.

Iran's envoy to a meeting of the remaining signatories to the nuclear accord said on Friday that European countries had offered too little at last-ditch talks to persuade Teheran to drop its plan to breach limits imposed by the deal.

The United States unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 and has reimposed sanctions on Iran.

Teheran on May 8 then stopped complying with some of its commitments under the nuclear deal. It said it would suspend further obligations after another 60 days, meaning in early July.

"The ball is in Europe's court. Are Paris, London and Berlin going to again waste a chance under the influence of (US President Donald) Trump, or use the remaining opportunity to fulfill their promises and act on their commitments under the (nuclear deal)?" Iranian state TV said in a commentary.

Iran will soon exceed an enriched uranium limit set under the 2015 nuclear deal after its remaining pact partners fell short of Teheran's demands to be shielded from US sanctions, the semiofficial Fars news agency on Saturday, citing an "informed source".

"As the commission meeting in Vienna could not satisfy Iran's just demands. ... Iran is determined to cut it commitments to the deal. ..." Fars quoted the source as telling the daily Khorasan.

On June 17, Iran said it would break through the limit on the size of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium in 10 days.

Iran has repeatedly criticized delays in European countries setting up a trading mechanism that would circumvent US economic sanctions.

On Friday, Britain, France and Germany said their trade channel, INSTEX, was finally up and running.

Meanwhile, the US deployed F-22 stealth fighters to the Gulf state of Qatar, as tensions mounted after Iran shot down a US drone. Teheran said the unmanned US aircraft was in its air space, which Washington denied.

"These aircraft (F-22 Raptors) are deployed to Qatar for the first time in order to defend American forces and interests," the US Air Force said on its regional website.

Iran's army chief said any attack was unlikely because of the country's strong military capability.

"We are ready (even) for nighttime attacks, and the enemy is closely monitored, but our intelligence does not point to war," General Abdolrahim Mousavi was quoted as saying by Fars.

Separately, the Iranian foreign minister said Iran would resist any US sanctions, just as it persevered during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war when the forces of then-Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein launched chemical attacks.

"We persevered then, and will now," Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on the anniversary of the 1987 chemical bombing of the border town of Sardasht, which killed at least 130 people.

"We'll never forget that the Western world supported& armed Saddam. ... (UN) Security Council never condemned his gassing of our people," Zarif wrote.

Reuters