Mogherini at the End of the JCPOA Commission Meeting: Dialogues Will Continue

The JCPOA Commission meeting was held on Friday, July 6, with the foreign ministers of Iran and five global powers for three hours in Vienna. Although, according to Reuters, no specific results were achieved, the senior European diplomat emphasized the continuation of dialogues. Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief who chaired the meeting, stated in a statement read to reporters that the attendees agreed to continue discussions and hold future meetings of this commission, including at the ministerial level. Mogherini also mentioned that the negotiating parties with Iran are seeking to maintain economic relations and financial exchange routes with Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also told reporters during the meeting that what was presented as a commitment or action at the ministerial meeting 'is not necessarily actions that will be publicly announced' and must be implemented before the start of U.S. sanctions. He emphasized that the commitments accepted by the ministers present at the meeting on Friday 'must be executed by the August deadline [August 4].' Zarif also noted that the proposed package delivered to Iran two days prior included more details discussed in the ministerial meeting, and the Islamic Republic officials would decide on remaining in the JCPOA after reviewing them. According to Fars News Agency, the Iranian Foreign Minister stated after the meeting, 'Based on the forecasts made, in the first stage we will give this opportunity to operationalize these commitments.' Zarif added, 'They explained to us today how to operationalize it, but we need to see how they implement it in practice, and of course, we have our own actions in mind that if they do not successfully operationalize their commitments, we will act.' Iranian President Hassan Rouhani criticized the European proposal for the continuation of the JCPOA just hours before the ministerial meeting, stating that the European proposals do not meet Iran's demands for compensating for the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement. Donald Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement with Iran on May 8, stating that the JCPOA did not prevent the development of the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile program and its 'support for terrorism in the region.' According to a schedule announced by Brian Hook, the U.S. State Department's policy director, a new round of sanctions, which includes the automotive sector and Iran's gold trade, will begin on August 4, and sanctions on oil, energy, and banking transactions will also commence on November 4. In recent weeks, negotiations between Iran and the three European countries, France, Germany, and the UK, have been ongoing to 'save the JCPOA despite U.S. sanctions.' All three negotiating countries have emphasized remaining in the JCPOA while agreeing with the U.S. on concerns regarding Iran's missile program and its actions in the region. In recent weeks, Islamic Republic officials have repeatedly stated that if the European economic proposals are insufficient, they will exit the JCPOA, a phrase reiterated by Mohammad Javad Zarif on Friday morning before the start of the JCPOA ministerial meeting. However, Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French Foreign Minister, urged Iran to end such threats. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was an agreement signed on July 14, 2015, between Iran and six global powers after years of negotiations. Under this agreement, Iran committed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions and to submit to full oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The IAEA has confirmed Iran's compliance with the JCPOA in all its reports.