The European Union and Iran confirm their commitment towards the implementation of the pre-Trump nuclear deal

Yesterday, Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete met with Ali Akbar Salehi, Iranian VicePresident and Head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI), in Teheran.

© European Union, 2018 / Source: EC - Audiovisual Service

Arias Cañete, in charge of Climate Action and Energy, and Salehi, confirmed the continuing commitment of the European Commission and the AEOI towards the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) unanimously endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231 before the election of Donald J. Trump as US President. Read here the Joint Statement.

Commissioner Arias Cañete stated that the EU commitment will remain in force as long as Iran complies with its nuclear related obligations.

In the meantime, the Commission has taken measures aiming to preserve the interests of European companies investing in Iran, measures such as launching the formal process to activate the Blocking Statute, an EU system protecting against the effects of the extra-territorial application of legislation adopted by a third country and actions based on it, or to remove obstacles for the European Investment Bank to decide under the EU budget guarantee to finance activities outside the European Union, in Iran.

On May 8th, Trump announced that the United States was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear agreement, ignoring calls from other signatories to preserve the 2015 deal, which lifted sanctions on Teheran in return for measures scaling back its nuclear ambitions. According to some analysts, Trump's decision can divide the US and Europe, allowing Russia to move closer to their longstanding goal of splitting the West and destroying the international unity required to respond suitably to any future Iranian violation. As well, it can destroys US credibility as a reliable negotiating partner on issues involving nuclear weapons, particularly with Russia and North Korea.

A third EU Iran High Level seminar on nuclear cooperation will take place in Brussels at the end of November 2018.