Members of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) - France, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Russia and Iran - confirmed Tuesday 1 September that the United States is no longer a participant state in the Iranian nuclear agreement.
In mid-August, Washington called for the launch of the ‘snapback’ mechanism against Iran (see EUROPE 12544/11).
Recalling that the United States had “unilaterally” announced the end of its participation in the agreement in May 2018 and that it had not participated in any JCPOA-related activities since then, “the participants reconfirmed that it therefore could not be considered a participant State”, explained Helga Schmid, Secretary-General of the European External Action Service, who chaired the meeting.
“The participants also reaffirmed their various statements and communications [...] that the United States cannot initiate the process of reinstating UN sanctions under Security Council Resolution 2231”, on Iran’s nuclear program, she said.
At their meeting, the members of the Joint Commission reiterated once again that the implementation of the Agreement by all parties remains crucial.
They therefore welcomed the joint statement by Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on 26 August that Tehran is allowing the agency access to two suspected nuclear sites.
The participants also expressed their strong support and collective responsibility for the continuation of the Arak Modernisation Project, taking into account the potential consequences of the US decision to end the exemption for civil nuclear projects (see EUROPE 12497/31). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)