1+4 Emphasizes 'Pursuing Actions for Payment and Continuation of Iran's Oil Exports'

Following a meeting of the foreign ministers of the five remaining countries in the JCPOA and Mohammad Javad Zarif, the parties issued a statement emphasizing their 'commitment to pursuing specific actions' regarding payment and the continuation of Iran's oil exports. The meeting of the foreign ministers of the four permanent members of the Security Council—France, Russia, China, and the UK—along with Germany, took place on Monday, September 24, with the presence of Federica Mogherini, the EU's chief foreign policy official, and Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister. After this meeting, a joint statement was issued in 12 points. In point 9 of the joint statement between Iran and the 1+4, the remaining members of the JCPOA emphasized their commitment to 'pursuing obligations... specifically for real and effective actions to ensure payment channels to Iran and the continuation of oil and gas condensate exports, petroleum products, and petrochemicals.' Other issues reflected in the joint statement include a commitment to implementing the nuclear agreement, an initiative to establish a 'special institution' for export and import payments, and an overall emphasis on Iran's economic benefits from the JCPOA. Issues such as establishing a 'special financial institution' for continued trade with Iran after the return of Washington's economic sanctions had been raised earlier, although at the same time, the U.S. has warned its allies and partners about trading with Iran. Iran and the 1+4 stated in their statement on Monday that lifting sanctions is 'a vital part' of the nuclear agreement. The parties welcomed the updating of the EU's 'blocking regulations' and granting permission to the European Investment Bank for Iran to qualify for foreign loans. The 'blocking regulations' prevent EU companies from complying with U.S. sanctions and do not recognize any court ruling for enforcing U.S. penalties. These laws were established in the 1990s to counter U.S. sanctions against Cuba, although they were never officially implemented. The necessary conditions for financing European companies by the 'European Investment Bank' had been raised earlier, although the bank's president has expressed doubts. Despite previous efforts by the EU, some economic analysts say none of the options have been effective so far, and the list of European companies that have left Iran has increased. This issue has also been reflected in statements from U.S. officials. For example, the U.S. Secretary of State, who tweeted on September 17, stated, 'With the arrival of November 4, different rules will be applied to anyone who wants to trade with the Iranian regime; many countries are already taking actions to leave Iran.' Donald Trump, the U.S. President, exited the JCPOA last spring after Tehran did not agree to Washington's demands for changes to the nuclear agreement. Mr. Trump, like congressional Republicans, was opposed to the negotiations and agreement made during Barack Obama's administration both during the elections and after his victory. He believes the nuclear agreement neither serves his country's national interests nor prevents Iran from ultimately acquiring nuclear weapons, nor does it stop issues like 'support for terrorism,' 'destabilizing activities,' or the development of the Islamic Republic's missile program. Iran denies interfering in the affairs of regional countries, claims it does not support terrorism, states that its missile program is defensive, and asserts that the JCPOA is a multilateral and international agreement endorsed by the Security Council. Donald Trump has said he is willing to negotiate with Iranian leaders without preconditions. On the other hand, Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, has emphasized that Tehran must fulfill 12 conditions to reach a new agreement, including stopping uranium enrichment and never moving towards plutonium reprocessing, ending the ballistic missile program and any testing and development of nuclear-capable missiles, ceasing support for terrorist groups in the Middle East, ending military support for Houthi militants, withdrawing all military forces under its command from Syria, and refraining from threatening behavior against its neighbors, among other conditions. The leader of the Islamic Republic has prohibited negotiations with the U.S.