The Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear issue, which met on Friday 9 April, has decided to meet again in Vienna later next week, announced the chair of the Commission, European External Action Service Political Director Enrique Mora. This could take place on Wednesday 14.
On Friday 9 April, the participants - France, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Russia and Iran - took stock for just over an hour “of the discussions held at various levels since the last Joint Commission in view of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA and discussed modalities to ensure the return to full and effective implementation” of the agreement, Mora said in a statement. He described the meeting as “constructive”.
According to Iranian media, during the meeting, Iranian negotiator Abbas Araghchi reiterated that the lifting of all US sanctions imposed by the Trump administration was a necessary step to revive the agreement, and that only after verifying the lifting of these measures would Iran be ready to end its corrective actions and return to full implementation of the agreement.
According to Mr Mora, the Joint Commission was briefed on the work of the two expert groups on the lifting of sanctions and measures to implement the nuclear agreement and took note of the constructive and results-oriented exchanges. According to the Russian ambassador to the IAEA, Mikhail Ulyanov, the participants “noted with satisfaction the initial progress made”. These expert groups will continue their work.
“For a long time we have been talking about the need to restore the JCPOA, but only now have we started to develop practical steps in this direction”, Mr Ulyanov said.
Mr Mora, as coordinator, will also continue his separate contacts with all participants in the agreement and with the United States. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)