Iran’s Zarif, EU’s Mogherini Meet in New York
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini held talks in New York on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly.
During the meeting, Zarif and Mogherini discussed the future of the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
In a post on his Twitter account on Tuesday, Zarif criticized the E3 – France, Germany, and the UK – for failing to fulfill their obligations under the JCPOA due to US pressures, stressing that no new deal will be negotiated until the current one is fully honored.
“E3's paralysis in fulfilling their obligations w/o US permission has been clear since May 2018. Solution to this deficiency: mustering will to forge independent path—not parroting absurd US claims & requests INCONSISTENT with JCPOA. No new deal before compliance w/ current one,” Zarif tweeted.
Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, US, Britain, France, and Germany) on July 14, 2015, reached a conclusion over the text of the JCPOA.
The accord took effect in January 2016 and was supposed to terminate all nuclear-related sanctions against Iran all at once, but its implementation was hampered by the US policies and its eventual withdrawal from the deal.
On May 8, 2018, Trump pulled his country out of the nuclear accord.
Following the US withdrawal, Iran and the remaining parties launched talks to save the deal.
However, the EU’s failure to ensure Iran’s economic interests forced Tehran to stop honoring certain commitments, including an unlimited rise in the stockpile of enriched uranium.