JCPOA Joint Commission To Reconvene In Vienna Later On Saturday - EU

JCPOA Joint Commission to Reconvene in Vienna Later on Saturday - EU

The Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will reconvene in Vienna on Saturday at 11:00 GMT, the European External Action Service (EEAS) said

BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th April, 2021) The Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will reconvene in Vienna on Saturday at 11:00 GMT, the European External Action Service (EEAS) said.

Last week, the joint commission began in-person meetings in Vienna. Following the first meeting, two expert-level working groups were formed to deal with nuclear-related issues and lifting of US sanctions against Iran. The second meeting was held on Thursday amid Tehran's decision to bring uranium enrichment to 60 percent. Russia's permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, said that his overall impression of the consultations was rather positive.

"The Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Iran nuclear deal, will resume its work in a physical format today, 17 April at 13.00 CET in Vienna," the EEAS said in a statement.

According to the service, Brussels will be represented by EEAS Political Director Enrique Mora, joined by representatives from Russia, Iran, Germany, France, China and the United Kingdom.

"Participants will take stock of the ongoing discussions on the prospect of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA and how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the JCPOA by all sides," the statement read.

The meeting will take place in the wake of Tehran claiming to have reached 60 percent uranium enrichment in response to a recent incident at the Natanz nuclear facility that damaged the plant's electricity distribution network. The country's vice president and atomic energy chief, Ali Akbar Salehi, described the incident as "nuclear terrorism."

In 2015, Iran signed the JCPOA with China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany and the EU. The deal required Iran to scale back its nuclear program and considerably downgrade its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief. In 2018, the US abandoned its conciliatory stance on Iran, withdrawing from the JCPOA and implementing hard-line policies against Tehran, which retaliated by gradually abandoning its commitments under the deal a year later.