Mogherini: European Powers Seeking Practical Solutions to Preserve JCPOA

A meeting of foreign ministers from Iran and three European countries, attended by Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, was held to discuss the status of the nuclear agreement with Iran, the JCPOA, following the U.S. withdrawal from the deal. According to Reuters, Mogherini stated on Tuesday, May 15, after the meeting in Brussels, that a group of European experts will present plans in the coming weeks to protect the interests of European companies that have business relations with Iran. She mentioned that next week, a meeting will be held at the deputy foreign ministers' level from France, the UK, Germany, Russia, and China in Vienna without the presence of the U.S. Mogherini also noted that the European Commission will discuss the EU's 1990 plan to block sanctions in its Wednesday meeting. She added that European powers are seeking practical solutions to preserve the JCPOA and will work on short-term plans in the coming weeks. Mogherini emphasized that European countries are looking for actions that allow Iran to maintain its oil exports and enable European banks to conduct transactions. The EU foreign policy chief also stated that they have a clear list of issues that need to be addressed and that they are working within a very difficult framework. While she cannot speak about economic or legal guarantees, she can talk about serious, determined, and urgent work from Europe. Meanwhile, Mogherini mentioned that intensive expert negotiations on various issues aimed at finding practical solutions will take place next week. She identified topics such as maintaining and expanding economic relations with Iran, continuing the sale of oil, gas, and petrochemical products from Iran, effective banking exchanges with Iran, and continuing maritime, land, air, and rail transport connections with Iran as focal points of these negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also stated after the meeting that Iran and European powers had a good start on how to preserve the nuclear agreement and that further negotiations are scheduled for next week. Zarif positively assessed the quadrilateral meeting in Brussels on his Twitter account, stating, 'A positive start with strong political commitments.' He mentioned that the participants agreed that much work needs to be done in the coming weeks to practically guarantee economic benefits for the Iranian people. The foreign ministers of the UK, France, and Germany, the three countries that signed the nuclear agreement, attended the Brussels negotiations with Zarif, considering that sanctions against Iran also harm the interests of European companies. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson stated before the meeting in Brussels, 'The UK and our European partners still consider the JCPOA important for our security and are fully committed to implementing it.' He added, 'We need to see what options we have to continue to lift sanctions against Iran and assure Iran that we are committed to our obligations under the nuclear agreement. At the same time, we ask Iran to continue to adhere to the limitations that the JCPOA has set regarding its nuclear program.' Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. was withdrawing from the JCPOA and that sanctions against Iran would be reinstated. Following the announcement of the U.S. exit from the JCPOA, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that foreign companies doing business with Iran have a maximum of six months to terminate their contracts with Tehran. Therefore, Europe will not have an easy task in preserving the JCPOA. Knut Fleckenstein, a German representative in the European Parliament, explained the situation in a conversation with Hanna Kavyani, a reporter for Radio Farda in Brussels: 'We are used to having the Americans by our side. For a very long time, they have been our reliable allies. Now it seems that this is not the case.' He added, 'What I expect from my government in Germany and the European Commission is a clear and effective mechanism for how to respond to U.S. sanctions against Iran in a way that supports European companies trading with Iran.' Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reacted to Trump's action by announcing that Tehran would continue its cooperation with the five remaining countries in the nuclear agreement and would take appropriate action if it did not benefit from the JCPOA. Other parties to the agreement have also begun efforts to preserve the JCPOA, with America's European allies stating that they will remain committed to the JCPOA even without Washington and will support their companies that have business relations with Iran against the White House's sanctions. Donald Trump and other officials in his administration emphasize that the JCPOA has not contained the Islamic Republic's behavior in the region. U.S. officials say they hope that by increasing pressure on the Islamic Republic, America's allies will bring Iran back to the negotiating table. Trump also threatened the Islamic Republic again the day after withdrawing from the JCPOA, stating, 'Iran must either negotiate or something else will happen.' Meanwhile, Iran has so far rejected any renegotiation of the JCPOA.