France Says Considering JCPOA Dispute Resolution Mechanism
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – France’s foreign minister suggested that Paris is considering triggering a mechanism within the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that could lead to UN sanctions.
The comments came on Wednesday at a time of heightened friction between Iran and the West, with Tehran step by step scaling back its commitments under the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in response to Washington's withdrawal from the agreement and the failure of other parties to live up to their obligations.
“Every two months, there is another dent (in the deal by Iran) to the point where today we ask ourselves, and I'm saying this very clearly, about the implementation of the dispute resolution mechanism that exists in the deal,” Jean-Yves Le Drian told a parliamentary hearing.
Britain, France and Germany have sought to salvage the pact, under which Iran undertook to curtail its uranium enrichment program in return for relief from sanctions, since the United States withdrew last year.
But the three European powers have failed to make good on the trade and investment dividends promised to Iran under the deal.
The EU’s inaction forced Tehran to stop honoring certain commitments to the nuclear deal, including a rise in the stockpile of enriched uranium.
Iran maintains that the measures are not designed to harm the JCPOA but to save the accord by creating a balance in the commitments.
The remaining parties to the JCPOA meet in Vienna on December 6 to discuss how to move forward.
The mechanism involves a party referring a dispute to a Joint Commission comprising Iran, Russia, China, the three European powers, and the European Union and then on to the UN Security Council if that commission cannot resolve it.
