On Friday 6 July, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the foreign ministers of Germany, France, the UK, China and Russia committed to continuing their purchase of Iranian oil products.
On 2 July, US President Donald Trump asked all the countries to stop their imports of Iranian oil by 4 November. Iran is calling for additional measures to compensate the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.
In the joint statement published at the end of the ministerial level meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in which Iran's foreign minister participated, they committed to continuing relations of all types with Iran, including "the continuation of Iran’s export of oil and gas condensate, petroleum products and petrochemicals".
The participants also "affirmed their commitment", "in good faith and in a constructive atmosphere", to maintaining and promoting wider economic and sectoral relations with Iran. They commit to preserving and maintaining effective financial channels with Iran, to promoting export credit cover, to encouraging further investment in Iran, and to bringing practical support for trade with and investment in the country.
"Clear and effective support for economic operators trading with Iran, particularly small and medium sized enterprises which are the backbone of many economies" and "the protection of economic operators for their investment and other commercial and financial activities in or in relation to Iran" are also priorities, as are the protection of companies from the extraterritorial effects of US sanctions.
The Joint Commission also supports the continuation of sea, land, air and rail transportation relations, and promises to bring together private and public sector experts, including through the promotion of business councils.
The participants also want to be followed in the their actions by the international community. They announced that they will work through "direct bilateral efforts and through engagement with international partners" in order to encourage them "to follow the same policies and to establish similar mechanisms in their economic relations with Iran". (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)