The European Union (EU) is expected to present its proposed package of initiatives to safeguard Iran’s interests within the framework of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by the end of June, said Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for political affairs Abbas Araqchi on Saturday.
The JCPOA was signed in July 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 and went into effect in January 2016. Although in May, US President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement, other signatories announced their commitment to the deal.
Abbas Araqchi added an unusual condition is now prevailing the JCPOA due to the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, the reasons for which are required to be discussed.
Iran and the rest of the parties to the JCPOA are attempting to preserve the deal, he said, stressing that in case efforts to this end fail, “we would return to the pre-JCPOA era situation”.
The official listed Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities and the removal of the sanctions as the two pillars on which the JCPOA has been founded and help maintain the balance of the deal.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for political affairs stressed that in case any of these two pillars is destroyed or becomes shaky, the entire deal will become unstable.
“We are currently in such a situation as the lifted sanctions will be reimposed following Washington’s pullout", he noted.
On May 8, US President Donald Trump announced Washington’s decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal, which restricted Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting the UN Security Council’s sanctions and the unilateral restrictive measures imposed by the US and the EU.
Trump also promised to re-impose economic sanctions on Iran.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the EU should provide guarantees to Tehran that its interests are taken into account to preserve the deal.
