US and European Officials to Negotiate on JCPOA in Berlin

An informed source at the German Foreign Ministry stated on Wednesday, March 1, that US and European officials will meet in Berlin in March to negotiate the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA with Iran. A European diplomat also told Reuters that this meeting is scheduled for March 15. However, the report did not specify the level at which this meeting will take place. This meeting comes after Donald Trump, the President of the United States, announced on January 12 that it would be the last time he issues an order to extend the suspension of sanctions against Iran, and that the 'disastrous' flaws in the nuclear agreement with Iran must be corrected within 120 days. Trump has set four conditions for the US to continue its participation in the JCPOA: 'immediate' access for international inspectors to all sites and facilities in Iran, making restrictions on Iran's nuclear program permanent, ensuring that Iran does not approach nuclear weapons, and limiting Iran's long-range missile program; as Trump stated, the long-range missile program and Iran's nuclear weapons program are 'inseparable.' Rex Tillerson, the US Secretary of State, also announced on January 27 that joint working groups between the European Union and the US had begun to address these flaws. Iranian officials have stated that they are not willing to negotiate on this issue and will not accept any changes to the JCPOA. Reuters previously reported that the US State Department is seeking to reach a supplementary agreement with the Europeans that would address the development and testing of Iran's long-range missiles and ensure rigorous inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as rectify the shortcomings of the 'sunset clause' regulations. According to the 'sunset clause,' after 10 years, Iran can increase its enrichment centrifuges, and after 15 years, it is allowed to increase the amount of its low-enriched uranium. Iran and the six world powers, including the US, Russia, China, France, the UK, and Germany, reached an agreement in July 2015 to resolve Iran's nuclear program and lift international sanctions against it. Under this agreement, the JCPOA, Iran agreed to halt many of its nuclear activities. Meanwhile, Tillerson had previously stated that, from Washington's perspective, the nuclear agreement with Iran is only a 'small' part of the US policy towards the Middle East, and the US has greater concerns regarding other issues, including Tehran's support for the Houthis in Yemen and Iran's supply of weapons to other militia groups in the region. In this context, the French Foreign Minister emphasized Paris's commitment to implementing the JCPOA while expressing concern about Iran's missile activities during a meeting with his Russian counterpart. Jean-Yves Le Drian stated that France believes 'everything necessary must be done' to ensure that no regional actors face ballistic threats. While news agencies reported on negotiations between the US and three European countries to bring Iran to the negotiating table to amend the JCPOA, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson rejected reports about European countries negotiating with the Islamic Republic regarding regional policies 'at the request of the US.'