European Union Calls on Iran to Comply with JCPOA Commitments

The European Union, in a statement released following a recent report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, expressed regret and concern over the United States’ withdrawal from the JCPOA, while also voicing concern about Iran’s violation of the agreement.

The European Union on Tuesday (June 17) welcomed in a statement the ongoing discussion on “verification and monitoring of Iran in the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency.”

The statement was released in response to the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency. In the agency’s report, Iran was accused of lack of necessary cooperation, including preventing the agency’s inspection of two suspicious sites involved in uranium production and storage.

In the European Union’s statement, which was also signed by a number of non-EU European countries, the International Atomic Energy Agency was commended for “carrying out its mission in verifying Iran’s implementation of the JCPOA with impartiality and professional approach,” and the agency’s regular and objective reports were praised.

European countries subsequently, while accusing Iran of violating the JCPOA, reaffirmed their support for the agreement and wrote: “As parties to the JCPOA, we reaffirm the continuation of our support for this accord and our commitment to cooperate in its full preservation and implementation. We are deeply concerned about Iran’s violations of nuclear commitments, which have serious and irreversible consequences in the path of nuclear weapons proliferation.”

The European Union’s statement then described the JCPOA as “an important multilateral achievement” and emphasized the EU’s commitment to supporting it, stating that this support is conditional on the agreement being fully implemented by Iran to ensure the peaceful nature of this country’s nuclear program.

The European Union’s statement subsequently referred to Iran’s uranium enrichment activities at the Fordow site and enrichment beyond the JCPOA-specified limits, and expressing deep concern about these matters, described them as violations of the JCPOA.

European countries then, referring to the activation of the snapback mechanism in January, stated: “We have clearly stated that we are pursuing a diplomatic solution to bring Iran back into compliance with the JCPOA, and the activation of the snapback mechanism was not a decision to take steps on an automatic path leading to the UN Security Council. We encourage Iran to engage constructively in this regard through serious consultations with us and the remaining parties to the JCPOA.”

European countries subsequently expressed regret and concern over “the United States’ withdrawal from the JCPOA and particularly the non-renewal of sanctions waivers related to nuclear non-proliferation projects that were among the key elements of the JCPOA and were also confirmed in UN Security Council Resolution 2231.” The statement noted that Europe’s non-alignment with American sanctions, including the launch of INSTEX by European countries party to the JCPOA, reflected this position.

The European parties to the JCPOA once again commended the International Atomic Energy Agency at the end for issuing its quarterly report on Iran’s implementation of the JCPOA.

Source: DW