Zarif's Request to Mogherini for the Formation of a Joint Commission on JCPOA

Iran's Foreign Ministry published a letter from Mohammad Javad Zarif to Federica Mogherini on Saturday, in which Iran, recalling its "full compliance" with JCPOA commitments, called for the formation of a joint commission to address the "extension of Iran sanctions law" by the United States. According to a report by the state news agency IRNA, citing the Iranian Foreign Ministry's Department of Diplomacy, Mr. Zarif emphasized the "multilateral nature" of the nuclear agreement and the "reciprocal nature" of the commitments contained therein, stating that "preserving the integrity and coherence of the JCPOA and its sustainability requires all parties to the JCPOA to pay attention to the continued implementation of its provisions by all members." He further requested the EU's foreign policy chief, as the coordinator of the JCPOA joint commission, to inform all JCPOA parties and "take the necessary measures to hold a meeting of the JCPOA joint commission and a sanctions working group to address the recent actions of the United States." Mr. Zarif had previously stated to the House of Parliament news agency on Thursday, December 14, that he had written to Federica Mogherini, the head of the JCPOA joint commission, about the "breach of commitment by the United States" twice and, based on President Hassan Rouhani's directive, would again request the extension of the Iran sanctions law to be discussed in this commission. Mr. Zarif added that one of these letters led to the formation of a joint commission on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, while the other was sent after the U.S. House of Representatives' resolution against Iran. However, it is unclear which resolution of the U.S. House of Representatives is being referred to. In recent weeks, the House of Representatives passed a resolution to ban the sale of aircraft to Iran and subsequently extended the Iran sanctions law for another ten years with only one opposing vote. The recent resolution was also approved in the U.S. Senate with 99 votes in favor, with only Bernie Sanders not present for the vote. This resolution, which became law without opposition or the signature of Barack Obama, sparked significant reactions in Iran, and ultimately, one day after the Iranian delegation's meeting on the JCPOA, President Hassan Rouhani mandated the Foreign Ministry to pursue the matter using the mechanisms provided in the JCPOA. Following the implementation of the nuclear agreement in January of last year, it was announced that a joint commission composed of Iran and the 5+1 countries, led and coordinated by the EU's foreign policy chief, would continue to "monitor and supervise the full and effective implementation of the JCPOA." Since the implementation of the JCPOA, this joint commission has met several times, with major topics under discussion including the sale of Iran's heavy water, issues faced by European banks in participating in Iran, and the proposal of "five or six serious cases" by Iran regarding the "violation of the spirit of the JCPOA" by the United States. In addition to the extension of Iran's sanctions in the U.S. Congress, the position of the U.S. President during his election campaign regarding the renewal of negotiations over the JCPOA has cast a shadow of uncertainty over the future of the nuclear agreement. Iranian officials, including President Hassan Rouhani, assert that the JCPOA is a multilateral agreement and should not be allowed to be weakened by one party at will. Recently, EU foreign ministers have also emphasized their support for the nuclear agreement with Iran, and Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, has warned that the JCPOA cannot be unilaterally revoked.