Germany and China have reiterated that they are committed to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal following the United States' withdrawal.
Speaking alongside visiting China's Premier Li Keqiang in Berlin on Monday, Chancellor Angela Merkel said the nuclear accord, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was well-negotiated.
The Chinese premier also warned against the unforeseeable consequences if the deal falls apart.
"We remain committed to the nuclear agreement. We think it was well negotiated," Merkel said. "There is more that needs to be negotiated with Iran, but we think it is better to stay in the agreement," Reuters reported.
No to Unilateral Sanctions
Earlier in the day, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China would “by no means” accept the US’s unilateral sanctions against Iran.
“China will by no means accept the unilateral sanctions which are groundless under international law and we will resolutely safeguard our own legitimate rights and interests,” Chunying told reporters on Monday, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry’s news portal.
She added, “Upholding and implementing the JCPOA remains an arduous task. The Chinese side will continue with its efforts to uphold the outcome of multilateralism.”
“Currently, the JCPOA is at a critical juncture about where to go. The convening of this meeting demonstrates all relevant parties' support to the JCPOA. The meeting issued the foreign ministers' joint statement as its outcome, which sent out positive political signal,” the Chinese diplomat further said, referring to a meeting held among senior diplomats from Iran, Russia, China, Britain, France, Germany and the European Union, in Vienna on July 6 to discuss ways to save the Iran nuclear deal.
The meeting came to an end with a statement from the JCPOA joint commission.
“All relevant parties also agreed to take coordinated actions to straighten out the implementation mechanism of the JCPOA and advance the specific projects stipulated by the agreement,” she said.
US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that Washington was walking away from the nuclear agreement, which was reached in 2015. Trump also said he would reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose “the highest level” of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.
