European Energy and Climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete will be in Tehran from 18 to 20 May with the objective of strengthening energy cooperation between the EU and Iran, following US President Donald Trump's announcement of the USA's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.
Over the course of this third visit since the conclusion of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in January 2016 to supervise Iran's nuclear ambitions, Cañete will meet key actors from the Iranian government, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad, Vice-President and Head of the Atomic Energy Organisation Ali Akbar Salehi, Minister of Petroleum Bijan Namdar Zanganeh and Minister of Energy Reza Ardakanian.
Following the conclusion and implementation of the JCPOA, which includes the lifting of sanctions, the EU and Iran have renewed bilateral relations and started cooperation in the area of energy (see EUROPE 11779).
Since the signature of the Iran nuclear deal in January 2016, trade between the EU and Iran has grown by 60%, to stand at nearly €20 billion at the end of 2017, Cañete stated. He gave assurances that the EU was "determined to act in accordance with its security interests and to protect its economic investments". (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)