TEHRAN, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said the European signatories to the Iranian international nuclear deal should go beyond mere political supports to the accord, Tasnim news agency reported Monday.

"The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iranian nuclear deal, is an international agreement and the United States has violated the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 by withdrawing from it, but unfortunately this illegal action has not been addressed appropriately by the Security Council or European countries," Araqchi was quoted as saying.

"We welcome political positions of the European Union, but just political support does not help save the JCPOA," he explained.

"The JCPOA is not an economic agreement. It is of security nature. If it matters to Europe, then they should pay the costs to maintain it," the Iranian deputy minister noted.

"The patience of the Islamic republic is not unlimited ... We will soon adopt an appropriate response to the illegal U.S. actions," he concluded.

The European Union on Thursday reiterated their support for the JCPOA despite mounting pressure from the United States on the Islamic republic.

U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and re-imposed sanctions on Iran, despite sanction waivers for some major oil buyers.

On Jan. 31, the EU announced the setting up of the Instrument In Support of Trade Exchange (INSTEX) to secure trade with Iran and skirt U.S. anti-Iran sanctions.

On April 22, Washington announced that it decided not to re-issue sanction waivers for major importers to continue buying oil from Iran when they expire in early May.

The decision, according to the White House, is intended to bring Iran's oil exports to zero.