Joint Commission Meeting on JCPOA to be Held in Vienna

The European Union and Iran announced that the Joint Commission meeting on the JCPOA will be held on Tuesday, April 24, in Vienna, where the parties will discuss sanctions and nuclear issues. According to reports, this meeting will be attended by Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Helga Schmid, Deputy Secretary-General for the EU's Foreign Policy, and representatives from the 1+5 countries. Bahram Qasemi, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, previously stated that Britain's opposition to Iran's request to purchase 950 tons of yellowcake from Kazakhstan will likely be raised at the Joint Commission meeting on April 24. Earlier, Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, announced that the Islamic Republic had referred its request to purchase 950 tons of yellowcake from Kazakhstan to the Secretariat of the Joint Commission, and the implementation of this agreement is only awaiting Britain's approval. Following the implementation of the nuclear agreement, it was announced that a Joint Commission composed of Iran and the 1+5 countries, led and coordinated by the EU's Foreign Policy Chief, would continue to 'monitor and supervise the full and effective implementation of the JCPOA.' Since the JCPOA's implementation, this Joint Commission has met several times, primarily discussing issues such as the sale of Iran's heavy water, problems faced by European banks in participating in Iran, and the proposal of 'five or six serious cases' by Iran regarding the 'violation of the spirit of the JCPOA' by the U.S. Abbas Araghchi also met with Yukiya Amano, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in Vienna on Monday. After this meeting, Araghchi stated that Iran has adhered to its commitments under the Vienna nuclear agreement, but the other side has not fully complied with its commitments. He emphasized that relations between Iran and the Agency are 'very smooth and good,' but 'there are always problems and obstacles that can be resolved through expert work.' Officials from Donald Trump's administration, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, have spoken of a 'complete review' of the Vienna nuclear agreement, but Iranian officials have stressed that from Tehran's perspective, the Vienna nuclear agreement is 'finished,' and Iran will not engage in new political negotiations with the U.S. regarding this agreement. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, accused Iran on April 20 of 'not acting in accordance with the spirit of the nuclear agreement.' Two days after these remarks, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, accused the U.S. of not adhering to either the spirit or the text of the JCPOA. The Iranian Foreign Ministry, in its fifth report on the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, stated that the positions of Trump's officials have created 'doubts about the seriousness' of the U.S. 'in fulfilling its commitments fully and in good faith' under this agreement. Federica Mogherini, the EU's Foreign Policy Chief, has also emphasized the Union's commitment to the nuclear agreement.