Iran, China, Russia, Europe to meet virtually to discuss return of US to nuclear deal

Representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK, and Iran will meet virtually on April 2 to discuss the possible return of the US to the Iran nuclear deal, the EU announced on Thursday. In a statement, the European Union said that a meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), called the Iran nuclear deal. It said that the Joint Commission will be chaired on behalf of the EU High Representative Josep Borrell by the Deputy Secretary-General and Political Director of the European External Action Service Enrique Mora. 

It further added, “Participants will discuss the prospect of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA and how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the agreement by all sides”. 

It worth mentioning that the JCPOA was reached in 2015 between Iran and the five permanent members of the UNSC - the US, Britain, Russia, France, China, plus Germany and the EU. Tehran had agreed to roll back parts of its nuclear weapons programme in exchange for decreased economic sanctions. However, in 2018, former US President Donald Trump had withdrawn from the JCPOA and had tightened sanctions on Iran. 

Since then, the US and Iran are in a standoff over reviving the nuclear deal. The Joe Biden administration has said that if Iran returns to full compliance with the JCPOA, the US would do the same. But Tehran has repeatedly insisted that its compliance would only take place once US sanctions were removed. 

US welcomes ‘positive step’ 

The US President has been seeking to engage Iran in talks about both sides resuming compliance with the deal, under which the US and other economic sanctions on Tehran were removed in return for curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme. On Thursday, US State Department spokesman Ned Price also said welcomed the “positive step” and said that Washington has been clear for weeks that the country is ready to pursue a return to compliance with JCPOA commitments consistent with Iran also doing the same. 

While speaking to reporters in Washington, Price said, “We have also been open about the fact that we have been talking with our partners in the P5+1 context and elsewhere about the best way to achieve this, including through a series of initial mutual steps”. 

He added, “We've been looking at options for doing so, including with indirect conversations through our European partners”. 

(Image: AP)