BRUSSELS, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The European powers said on Thursday that they strongly urge Iran to continue to implement its commitments under the nuclear deal and reject any ultimatums.
A joint statement by the High Representative of the European Union and foreign ministers of France, Germany and Britain said they note with great concern the statement made by Iran concerning its commitments under the deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The European powers said they remain fully committed to the preservation and full implementation of the JCPOA, "a key achievement of the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture, which is in the security interest of all."
"We strongly urge Iran to continue to implement its commitments under the JCPoA in full as it has done until now and to refrain from any escalatory steps," the statement said.
"We reject any ultimatums and we will assess Iran's compliance on the basis of Iran's performance regarding its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPoA and the NPT (Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons)," it added.
The European powers also recalled their "firm commitments under the agreement including as regards sanctions-lifting for the benefit of the Iranian people," regretting the re-imposition of sanctions by the United States following its withdrawal from the JCPOA.
"We call on countries not party to the JCPoA to refrain from taking any actions that impede the remaining parties' ability to fully perform their commitments," the statement said.
On Wednesday, Iran announced that it would suspend some promises it made under the deal.
The United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal a year ago despite criticism by the international community including the United Nations. It also took a set of hostile measures against Iran.
The European powers said they are determined to continue pursuing efforts to enable the continuation of legitimate trade with Iran, including through the operationalization of the special purpose vehicle "INSTEX."
INSTEX, short for the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges, has been established by three shareholders -- France, Germany and Britain -- to sidestep U.S. sanctions and facilitate trade with Iran.
Last week, the European powers said the shareholders of INSTEX are committed to significantly increasing their financial contributions to INSTEX's operational budget.
