EU’s Stance on JCPOA Close to Russia’s, China’s: Official
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The European Union’s envoy to Moscow described the 2015 Iran nuclear accord, knowns as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as the best possible agreement, saying the EU’s stance on the deal is closer to the positions of Russia and China than that of the US.
In an interview with Russia’s Kommersant daily on Thursday, Markus Ederer said that there were no reasons to cast doubt on Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal.
The EU regrets that Washington’s stance on the issue is different from that of Brussels, which is “closer” to the positions of Beijing and Moscow, said the diplomat.
In December, US President Donald Trump waived a series of sanctions against Iran as required under the JCPOA, but warned the European allies and the US Congress that it will be the last such waiver he signs if they fail to agree to radical changes to the nuclear deal.
With his announcement, Trump in effect began a four-month countdown until the US carries out its threat to withdraw from the JCPOA. The next sanctions waivers fall due on 12 May.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has made it clear that the JCPOA is a valid international document that would not be renegotiated at all.
Since the historic deal was signed in Vienna in July 2015, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly confirmed the Islamic Republic’s compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA, but some other parties, especially the US, have failed to live up to their undertakings.