EU Pledges to Uphold JCPOA

A top European diplomat said the European Union is determined to help uphold the 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and major powers, which was the result of an effective diplomatic approach.

“It is diplomacy that delivers, tackling and overcoming the outstanding issues. It is diplomacy that creates new opportunities for our economies, for our citizens, for our region’s security,” Federica Mogherini said in a note posted on her website Federicamogherini.net.

“We bring with us in the New Year our determination to preserve this method. And to preserve a historic deal, serving everyone’s security,” The note is titled “Twelve Things to Bring With Us in 2017.”

Mogherini added that the nuclear negotiations reached fruition despite widespread skepticism in the international community.

“During the negotiations with Iran, we were often told: you’ll never make it. After we signed the nuclear deal, last year, the skeptics said: it’s never going to work. But it has worked,” she said.

“In January 2016 in Vienna, with Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, we certified for the first time that all sides had implemented the agreement of July 2015.”