Minister for the Middle East Rt. Hon. James Cleverly MP this week underlined that Iran’s non-compliance to nuclear commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is “deeply concerning”.
Responding to a Written Parliamentary Question from Conservative MP Scott Benton, Mr Cleverly said: “Iran’s continued non-compliance with its nuclear commitments under the JCPoA remains deeply concerning and seriously undermines the non-proliferation benefits of the agreement”.
He added: “We have called for a ministerial Joint Commission meeting to address Iran’s non-compliance and find a way forward. We are clear that Iran must engage seriously with this process, and that its current actions put the JCPoA at risk”.
Scott Benton MP had asked the Minister “what recent assessment his Department has made of the requirement to invoke the snapback of sanctions against Iran under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231”.
Last month, Jack Lopresti MP raised the issue of Iran’s regional aggression in two separate WPQs, asking what steps the UK is taking to “address Iran’s regional aggression since the expiry of the UN conventional arms embargo on 18 October 2020”, and “what steps the Government is taking to pursue a comprehensive agreement with international partners addressing Iran’s (a) nuclear programme, (b) ballistic missile production, (c) human rights record and (d) involvement in financing terrorist groups”.
The Middle East Minister said in his response that the UK “did not want to see the arms embargo expire, given the major implications for security and stability in the region”. He asserted: “We remain concerned at Iran’s destabilising regional behaviour and continue to hold Iran to account for its activity in the region. We currently have over 200 EU sanctions listings in place against Iran, including against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in its entirety”.
He also said: “We have been clear on the need to keep the diplomatic door open for talks with Iran which address in the long term our concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme, its ballistic missile programme and its destabilising regional activities”.
