Reuters: Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Five JCPOA Countries with Iran in New York

Reuters reports that global powers signatory to the nuclear agreement with Iran, except for the United States, will hold a meeting with Iran next Monday in New York. This meeting is part of these countries' efforts to preserve the nuclear agreement after the United States' withdrawal and ahead of the implementation of U.S. oil sanctions against Iran. According to the report, the foreign ministers of Britain, Russia, China, France, and Germany will meet with Iran's foreign minister at 8 PM next Monday in New York to discuss the preservation of the JCPOA. Reuters states that these countries face a sensitive task as they must encourage Iran to remain committed to the agreement despite the U.S. withdrawal and the return of sanctions, which deprives Iran of the economic benefits of the nuclear deal. A senior European diplomat told Reuters that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani needs arguments to defend this agreement against hardliners (within Iran). He now needs us to provide him with such ammunition. This European diplomat added: We are trying to provide him with such ammunition, but I must honestly say that what we can do is very limited. The six global powers reached the agreement known as the JCPOA in 2015 to resolve the Iranian nuclear dispute. Iran allowed international inspectors access to its nuclear facilities while limiting some of its nuclear activities, and in return, the international community lifted nuclear sanctions against Iran. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, claims that the JCPOA is a flawed and incomplete agreement that does not include Iran's missile program and regional activities. Donald Trump announced the U.S. decision to withdraw from the JCPOA on May 8 and stated that sanctions against Iran would resume. So far, one phase of U.S. sanctions has been implemented, and the second phase, which includes oil sanctions, is set to be implemented from November 4. Reuters notes that the shock from the return of sanctions has caused the value of Iran's national currency, the rial, to plummet sharply against the dollar. Zarif's threat to increase uranium enrichment while remaining in the JCPOA European countries, despite the exit of major companies from Iran, have made efforts to protect European companies that trade with Iran, but they seem to be facing difficulties regarding oil sanctions, as the U.S. will sanction any company or entity that participates in the process of purchasing Iranian oil. Iranian officials have recently stated that since European countries are unable to continue economic cooperation with Iran, it may be better for Iran to reduce its level of commitment to the nuclear agreement in response. In this context, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, has threatened the European Union that if there is no balance between Iran's achievements and data from the JCPOA, the Islamic Republic will increase its uranium enrichment percentage while remaining in the JCPOA. Mohammad Javad Zarif, in an interview with Der Spiegel magazine, urged Europe to compensate for the effects of U.S. sanctions and criticized the EU for not taking sufficient action in this regard. Another senior European diplomat also told Reuters: (The Iranians) constantly tell us that the situation is very bad and they want to exit the agreement or implement it partially. They have said this before, but they are still implementing the JCPOA. This European diplomat added: We have warned them that their exit from this agreement will hurt them more than it will hurt us. Meanwhile, Donald Trump stated that he will preside over a UN Security Council meeting on Iran next week.