RFERL:

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Europe has practically pulled out of the nuclear agreement with Iran, and he expects only "backstabbing and treason" from Western European countries.

Criticizing Western countries in his annual speech in Mashad, north-eastern Iran, on the first day of the Iranian New Year March 21, Khamenei said, "The Europeans have practically left the JCPOA, because they have not met their commitments."

Three European states, Germany, France and the UK have set up INSTEX (Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges) following the U.S. withdrawal from the deal with Iran in 2018, to help Iran with limited trade despite U.S. sanctions. Iran has also set up its own parallel mechanism, the Special Trade and Finance Institute (STFI) earlier this week. The two trade vehicles are planned to work in tandem, avoiding the use of U.S. dollar and traditional banking transactions.

However, Khamenei called INSTEX a "meaningless" measure and "a bitter joke," adding that "Europeans should have stood up to the U.S. after it left the JCPOA and should have lifted all sanctions against Iran."

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