The European External Action Service (EEAS) stated that at the end of a meeting in Vienna on Tuesday 10 January, the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – comprising the E3+3 (France, Germany, the UK and China, the US and Russia) and linked to the Iranian nuclear programme – had reaffirmed its commitment contained in the JCPOA to lifting sanctions.
The Joint Commission meeting lasted over three hours and comes a year after implementation of the JCPOA on 16 January 2016 (see EUROPE 11470) and a few days before the swearing in of the new US president, who is reluctant about the agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme. The meeting was called in response to the concerns of Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zari, about the US sanctions (see EUROPE 11696).
The commitments on the sanctions "relate to the [US] Iran Sanctions Act", the EEAS said in its press release. This act extends the sanctions against Iran for ten years. According to the EEAS, the Joint Commission notes "the United States' assurance that extension of the Iran Sanctions Act does not affect in any way the sanction lifting Iran receives under the deal or the ability of companies to do business in Iran consistent with the JCPOA". The Joint Commission also reiterated the commitments by the participants to the continued lifting of sanctions, in particular the US sanctions.
All sides reaffirmed their strong commitment to continued, full and effective implementation of the JCPOA, the EEAS added, stating that the Joint Commission meeting also offered an opportunity to review the implementation of the JCPOA. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)