The EU is keen to see Iranians feel the benefits of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers, whose foreign ministers convened in a meeting of the Joint Commission in New York on Thursday, the bloc's top diplomat said.
"This [the deal's implementation] is a process that some of us might wish to see go a bit faster; reality is something we have to deal with, but as I mentioned there is strong commitment by all sides to continue in this direction that is already bringing some results, to accelerate the pace of it and as I said go the extra mile and continue working for the Iranian people to feel real benefits in their everyday lives," Federica Mogherini added.
"We discussed the outreach we have done, all of us, collectively and individually, we reached out to businesses, banks, to encourage engagement in Iran," she told reporters after the meeting, on the sidelines of the annual session of the UN General Assembly, the website of the European External Action Service reported.
Mogherini's statement followed President Hassan Rouhani's speech to the UN General Assembly meeting a few hours earlier in which he criticized the US for a lack of commitment to the accord.
Under the landmark accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran acceded to time-bound curbs on its nuclear program in return for relief from international sanctions in the hope that it could revitalize its sanctions-hit economy by luring overseas businesses.
However, lingering American restrictions that involve a ban on the use of dollar in Iran-linked transactions and processing such transactions through the US financial system have deterred overseas banks and investors from interacting with the Iranian economy.
