Iran Press/Europe: German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said: "I am hopeful that we will be able to finalize the payment channel in the coming weeks. We are working urgently to clarify the final requirements -- such as determining the country where the mechanism will be headquartered."
German Foreign Minister made the remarks in an interview with Der Spiegel, according to Iran Press.
"That isn't easy in a confrontative situation with the US because it is, of course, trying to exert pressure," Maas noted.
Also, EU’s High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said that Europe and the international community will preserve the Iranian nuclear deal, adding that the United States is not allowed to make decisions over Europe’s legitimate trade with Iran.
Mogherini made the remarks on Friday in an interview with the European Council on Foreign Relation website.
In response to a question about the importance of Iran nuclear deal for EU, Mogherini said: “We are working, as a Union of 28 member states and with the rest of the international community, to preserve a nuclear agreement that has so far been implemented in full, as certified by the International Atomic Energy Agency in 13 consecutive reports.”
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Saving JCPOA require to guarantee business with Iran: Mogherini
The EU foreign policy chief added that the European countries seek to preserve the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) because of their alleged ‘collective security.’
Furthermore, with respect to the Special-Purpose Vehicle (SPV), which the EU has promised Iran to circumvent the sanctions that the United States re-imposed on Iranian economy after its illegal withdrawal from the deal, Mogherini said: “Part of this work requires us to guarantee that firms wanting to do legitimate business with Iran are allowed to do so. This is what we are working on right now: tools that will assist, protect, and reassure economic actors pursuing legitimate business with Iran.”
The EU foreign policy chief did not go on to elaborate on the reasons for the delay in implementing the promised financial channel SPV, while adding: “It is true that this situation has triggered a conversation on European economic sovereignty. “
Earlier on December 3, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman said that the delay in the execution of Iran-EU’s trade mechanism is due to too much pressure exerted by US on European countries.
The special payment channel needs a host country to come into effect. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal on 26 November, France and Germany – as key EU countries and signatories to the JCPOA – are the likely candidates to host the SPV. 101/ 211 /201
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