EU’s Mogherini Says Iran Nuclear Deal ‘Is Working’

By

The EU’s High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini said the Iranian Nuclear Deal (JCPOA) is working and it is delivering on its main goal, which means keeping the Iranian nuclear program in check and under close surveillance.

Mogherini made the comments Thursday at a press conference following a meeting of the European Union and the Foreign Ministers of France (Jean-Yves Le Drian), Germany (Sigmar Gabriel) and the United Kingdom (Boris Johnson) with the Foreign Minister of Iran (Mohammad Javad Zarif) in Brussels.

The focus of Thursday’s meeting was on the ongoing work to ensure the full and continued implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal with Iran, by all parties.

“The European Union has had and expressed a very clear position on the nuclear deal, as it was stated by the 28 European Union Member States’ Ministers, already in October last year, and repeated again today,” Mogherini said.

According to Mogherini, the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] has confirmed in nine reports that Iran is fully complying with the commitments made under the agreement.

“Its continued successful implementation ensures that Iran’s nuclear program remains exclusively peaceful. And by the way, this is regularly discussed in the framework of the Joint Commission [of the JCPOA] which I am coordinating,” Mogherini said.

Mogherini noted that the nuclear agreement is a multilateral agreement endorsed by the UN Security Council with a Resolution. It is a key element of the nuclear non-proliferation global architecture and it is crucial for the security of the region, but also for the security of Europe.

“It is in our key strategic security interest as Europeans. At a time of acute nuclear threat, the European Union is determined to preserve the JCPOA as a key element of the international non-proliferation architecture,” Mogherini said,

Mogherini stressed that the European Union remains committed to support the full and effective implementation of the agreement, including to make sure that the lifting of nuclear related sanctions has a positive impact on trade and economic relations with Iran, including benefits for the Iranian people.

Mogherini said that while the agreement has allowed for deeper cooperation and continuous dialogue with Iran on all issues, “we have expressed concerns related to other issues, such as development of ballistic missiles and increasing tensions in the region, these issues are outside the scope of the nuclear agreement and are and will be addressed in the relevant formats and fora.”

Mogherini said the leaders also briefly obviously discussed internal recent events in Iran.

Without mentioning the Unites States by name, Mogherini did say, “the unity of the international community is essential to preserve a deal that is working, that is making the world safer and that is preventing a potential nuclear arms race in the region. And we expect all parties to continue to fully implement this agreement.”

US President Donald Trump is expected this week to decide whether to waive nuclear sanctions on Iran or effectively end the United States’ participation in the nuclear agreement.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *