Iran Press/Europe: According to the EU External Actions office, "The Joint Commission will be co-chaired by EEAS Secretary General Helga Schmid and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and will be attended by the E3+2 (China, France, Germany, Russia, United Kingdom) and Iran."
The meeting has been called with the intention of ensuring the continued implementation of the JCPOA in all its aspects and discuss ways to tackle challenges arising from the withdrawal and re-imposition of sanctions by the United States on Iran, as well as recent announcements by Iran regarding the implementation of its nuclear commitments, Iran Press reported cited on EU's website.
The Joint Commission is co-chaired by Helga Schmid (L) and Abbas Araghchi (R)
One day before holding JCPOA Joint Commission, representatives of Iran, Russia and China convened late on Thursday afternoon to discuss developments on the deal.
Iran's ambassador to International Organizations in Vienna Kazem Gharibabadi in a tweet on Thursday described the meeting attended by Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi as constructive and positive.
Iran Has Every Right to Reduce JCPOA Commitments
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has written a harsh letter to EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini to underline the Islamic Republic’s right to reduce its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
In the letter, which was first reported by the E’temad newspaper on Thursday, the Iranian foreign minister has stressed that Tehran would not be swayed by political pressures and threats.
The letter came after a message of warning by the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Britain, who warned Iran against reducing its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Mohammad Javad Zarif has written a harsh letter to Federica Mogherini to underline Iran’s right to reduce its nuclear commitments
He told Mogherini that the E3 ministers’ move to write that letter was in violation of the accord.
In his letter, Zarif referred to numerous cases of violation of the JCPOA by Europe, and argued that Tehran reserves the right to reduce all or some of its commitments as per the multilateral deal based on its Article 26 and 36.
He further stressed that the Islamic Republic is totally serious in using its rights under the deal, including the right to stop implementing its obligations, and the only way to save the JCPOA is that the other parties to the deal implement their commitments.
Iran's strategic patience at its limit
Deputy foreign minister for political affairs said on Thursday that Tehran's strategic patience has reached its limit, and it is unfair to expect Iran to shoulder all the burden of preserving the nuclear agreement (JCPOA) more than it already has, when other countries have not honoured their side of the deal.
"Remaining countries in the JCPOA have failed to make up for America's withdrawal, but Tehran showed strategic patience over the past year and provided sufficient opportunity for them to do so, but it yielded nothing," Seyyed Abbas Araqchi said.
"We welcome political stances of European states and other remaining parties against US withdrawal from the international accord, but the political stances should be translated into practical steps, honouring commitments under the deal," he said.
Noting that JCPOA's Joint Commission will be held at the deputy foreign minister level in Vienna on Friday, he hoped that parties to the international agreement would take practical steps during the meeting, or else Iran will gradually scale down its commitments under the deal. 101/211
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