Russia Shares Good Understanding With EU on Iran Nuclear Deal

EghtesadOnline: Russia and the European Union continue to maintain extensive contacts concerning the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal, Russia's permanent representative to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, said during a video link between Moscow and Brussels on Friday.

News ID: ۷۴۶۳۶۴

23 December 2018

“We are in close contact with the EU. Brussels is considering a special mechanism that will make it possible to continue cooperating with Iran,” Chizhov was quoted as saying by TASS.

“Extensive contacts continue; we have a rather high level of mutual understanding.”

On Dec. 10, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said that in the coming weeks, the EU and Iran would finalize a financial mechanism to bypass US sanctions on Tehran, Financial Tribune reported.

In 2015, Iran and six major powers (five member states of the United Nations Security Council—Russia, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and China—and Germany) agreed on the final Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which particularly stipulated the removal of sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program.

On May 8, US President Donald Trump announced Washington’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal. He said old sanctions on Iran would be restored and new ones would be introduced in case Tehran attempted to pursue its nuclear ambitions.

This is while the International Atomic Energy Agency has verified Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal in 13 reports.

In the wake of Trump’s decision, the leaders of Britain, Germany and France called on other signatories to the deal to continue fulfilling it.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said Tehran would not abandon JCPOA and continue to comply with its obligations as long as Tehran’s interests are ensured.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said Washington’s withdrawal from the nuclear accord has been in violation of the United Nations Security Council’s resolution endorsing the deal. He also stressed that Russia will seek to maintain the agreement despite the US decision to reimpose sanctions against Iran.