Europeans call for urgent meeting of Iran nuclear deal parties
European powers accused Iran on Tuesday of “pursuing activities inconsistent with its commitments” under a 2015 nuclear deal and called for an urgent meeting of the parties to the agreement to discuss Tehran’s compliance.
Britain, Germany, France, Russia, China and Iran are the remaining parties to the deal - known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) - which was abandoned by the United States last year.
“These compliance issues must be addressed within the framework of the JCPOA, and a Joint Commission should be convened urgently,” the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany, plus the European Union’s top diplomat, said in a statement.
The European powers have not triggered a dispute resolution process contained in the deal, said diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Joint Commission, chaired by the European Union’s top diplomat Federica Mogherini, is made up of the remaining parties to the deal and was created to monitor implementation and address any issues.
“Iran has stated that it wants to remain within the JCPOA. It must act accordingly by reversing these activities and returning to full JCPOA compliance without delay,” the European countries said.
The 2015 agreement offered Iran access to world trade through the lifting of most sanctions in return for agreeing to curbs on its nuclear program.
The future of the pact has been in doubt since last year when the United States pulled out of it and reimposed unilateral sanctions. Iran has said it wants to continue to abide by the agreement but cannot do so indefinitely if U.S. sanctions prevent it from receiving any of the promised economic benefits.
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