Europe urged Iran on Wednesday to continue implementing its commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal and not disregard them in retaliation for the reimposition of U.S. economic sanctions.

"Today we may be at a critical juncture regarding the future of the JCPOA," European Union Ambassador to the U.N. Joao Vale de Almeida said, using the acronym for the nuclear deal. "Yet, it should be recalled that the JCPOA is a nuclear agreement that has been working and delivering on its goals. There is also no credible, peaceful alternative," he told a meeting of the U.N. Security Council reviewing implementation of the deal.

He said the EU together with other partners of the international community would continue to work "relentlessly" to preserve the deal as long as Iran abides by its commitments.

The Europeans have been doing just that for more than a year, first trying to convince U.S. President Donald Trump not to leave the deal (they failed) and now trying to keep Iran in it.

But Iran has complained that the U.S. withdrawal and reimposition of unilateral sanctions has hurt it economically. On May 8, Tehran announced that it would not commit itself to respecting the deal's limits on its enriched uranium stockpile and heavy water reserves.

Iran's U.N. ambassador, Majid Takht Ravanchi, said the JCPOA is now "in critical condition" and that the steps Tehran has announced are the "minimum measure" it could take in the face of U.S. actions.

Source : VOA