Three European JCPOA signatories stress commitment to Iran deal

Germany, France, and the UK reaffirm their resolve in a statement to save the deal despite America’s unilateral withdrawal from the accord.

Iran Press/ Europe: "France, Germany and the United Kingdom stress their commitment to the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 2231 and the preservation of the JCPOA, which we believe contributes to reducing tensions in the region as well as global nuclear non-proliferation," they said in a statement on Monday.

Resolution 2231 endorsed the multilateral nuclear accord, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was signed between Iran and six major world countries, including the United States, in 2015.

US President Donald Trump, however, pulled his country out of the JCPOA in May 2018 and re-imposed harsh sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticisms.

Critical of Washington’s move, the European parties to the JCPOA vowed efforts to keep the deal in place by protecting Tehran against the US sanctions.

The Europeans, however, failed to fulfill the promise, leaving the fate of the Iran deal hanging in the balance.

Resorting to the JCPOA’s articles on its rights, Tehran has reduced its commitments under the deal, setting a deadline for the Europeans to honor their end of the bargain.

The European statement further said, "We are committed to working hard for the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 2231 and urge all sides to do the same."

"It is in everyone’s interests to show restraint and avoid any actions that would undermine this vital pillar of the non-proliferation regime and of our collective security," it added.

The statement was issued at the end of a closed-door UN Security Council session, which had been called by the US to brief the 15-nation body on recent attacks on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, which Washington blames on Tehran without offering any solid evidence to support the claim.

Another issue on the agenda of the session was Iran’s June 20 downing of a US spy drone, which violated Iranian airspace despite numerous warnings.

The US claims Tehran shot the surveillance drone down in international waters, but Iran has released the precise coordinates of the site where the intruding aircraft was hit and presented the world body with related documents, which prove Washington wrong.104/209

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