Mogherini Emphasizes the 'Vital' Importance of Preserving Iran's Nuclear Agreement

Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, emphasized the 'vital' importance of preserving Iran's nuclear agreement on Monday, stating that the EU, in cooperation with the United States, is working to ensure that all parties are fully committed to the comprehensive implementation of the JCPOA. In remarks before the EU Foreign Relations Council meeting in Luxembourg, Mogherini stressed that she expects member countries to reaffirm the union's strong and unwavering commitment to the full implementation of the JCPOA. She added that the outcomes of the last Joint Commission meeting overseeing the JCPOA implementation were 'positive' and that, in addition to the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has confirmed Iran's compliance ten times, all parties agree on Iran's full adherence to its commitments in this regard. Mogherini noted that European countries and the EU have always clearly stated that maintaining the JCPOA is vital and is in the strategic interests of the EU, which we remain committed to. She also mentioned that preserving the credibility of the IAEA is crucial, especially as we may prepare for negotiations with North Korea, and therefore, work is ongoing, and we believe it is essential to be united in this regard. The EU foreign ministers' meeting is taking place on Monday, April 16, in Luxembourg, where European ministers are expected to discuss the proposed sanctions by Britain, France, and Germany against Iran once again. Reports indicate that the proposed sanctions by these three global powers involved in the nuclear agreement focus on Iran's missile program and the Islamic Republic's role in the Syrian war, and Britain, France, and Germany hope that imposing such sanctions will encourage the United States not to withdraw from the nuclear agreement. Donald Trump, the U.S. President, who has been a serious critic of the Iran nuclear agreement from the beginning, emphasized three months ago during the announcement of the periodic lifting of some sanctions on Iran under the JCPOA that if the U.S. Congress and its European allies fail to correct the disastrous flaws of the JCPOA, he will not extend the lifting of Iran's sanctions and may even withdraw from the agreement. However, after weeks of consultations between U.S. and European officials, Reuters reported in the last days of Esfand last year about a proposal for new European sanctions against Iran 'with the aim of showing Donald Trump that there are other ways to counter Iran's assertiveness beyond its borders.' The proposed sanctions initially faced opposition from some EU members who believe that even with such sanctions, there is no guarantee that the U.S. will not withdraw from the nuclear agreement. However, as the discussions are on the agenda for the European foreign ministers, the EU's foreign policy chief stated that we currently have non-nuclear sanctions against Iran, and although she does not want to prejudge the decisions of the European foreign ministers in this regard, it is not expected that they will impose new sanctions against Iran in their meeting. She added that specifically the three European countries involved in the nuclear agreement, namely Britain, France, and Germany, will share their efforts in this regard, especially with the Americans, with other foreign ministers, and she herself will report on cooperation with other key countries in this agreement and ongoing work with Iran for the full implementation of the JCPOA. The head of the EU's foreign policy also announced on her Twitter account about her conversation on Monday with the foreign ministers of Britain, France, and Germany regarding the JCPOA, ahead of the EU foreign ministers' meeting, which emphasized Europe's full support for the JCPOA. Donald Trump's proposed deadline for amending the JCPOA ends in less than a month on May 11, and the U.S. President expects that by then, four major flaws of the JCPOA will be addressed: that some of the JCPOA's restrictions are temporary, that the JCPOA does not address Iran's missile program, that IAEA inspectors do not inspect all of Iran's sites, and finally, that the JCPOA does not guarantee that Iran will remain forever away from nuclear weapons.