Brussels, 13/01/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 13 January, Abbas Araghchi, one of the Iranian negotiators on the country's nuclear programme, announced that the entry into force of the agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme was expected to come about on Saturday 16 or Sunday 17 January.
“The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is due to give its report on Friday” in order to confirm that Tehran has kept its commitments, the negotiator said, as quoted by Iran's official news agency Irna. At the time of EUROPE going to press, the IAEA had not confirmed the announcement. “We will announce the entry into force of the agreement on the nuclear programme (…) on Saturday or Sunday”, Aragchi added. On Monday 11 January, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini announced that the “implementation” of the agreement was expected to come about “soon”, even if no date had been set (see EUROPE 11465).
Aragchi stated that Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Mogherini were expected to publish a joint press release over the weekend on the Iranian nuclear programme and lifting the sanctions. The legal texts on lifting the sanctions were adopted on 18 October, the day the agreement was officially adopted (see EUROPE 11413).
Elsewhere, the EU is expected to adopt formally, by written procedure, the extension of the suspension of sanctions against Iran, in connection with the nuclear programme. The current suspension, which was decided upon on 14 July (see EUROPE 11359), comes to an end at midnight on 14 January. Although the sanctions are expected to be lifted a few days later, the suspension must be extended until this date. According to a diplomatic source, the extension would apparently be for two weeks. The decision is expected to appear in the Official Journal on 15 January, according to a European source. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)