BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th November, 2019) The European Union's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said that it was becoming more and more difficult to preserve the Iran nuclear deal, days ahead of a planned meeting between sides to the multilateral agreement that has been jeopardized by the United States' withdrawal from it.
The EU External Action Service confirmed on Tuesday that the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known as the Iran nuclear deal, would hold a meeting in Vienna on December 6.
"We continue to fully believe in the diplomatic and security value of the JCPOA � of the nuclear deal with Iran. Yet, it is no secret that the preservation of this agreement has become increasingly difficult," Mogherini said during a plenary session of the European Parliament on Wednesday.
The diplomat noted Brussels' hard work as a coordinator of the Joint Commission to preserve the unity of the agreement participants after the US withdrawal from it.
"I believe this unity is key to preserve the agreement as much as possible. We all agreed just a few weeks ago we must spare no energy to preserve the deal," Mogherini argued.
Signed by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union in 2015, the JCPOA seeks to ensure the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program in exchange for a withdrawal of western sanctions imposed on Tehran.
However, in May 2018, the United States unilaterally withdrew from the agreement and subsequently re-imposed its sanctions on Iran. Tehran responded by beginning to reduce its obligations under the JCPOA roughly a year later.
