Switzerland will continue its nuclear cooperation with Iran and efforts are being made to keep trade and investment flowing after the United States' unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, says a senior diplomat.
A roadmap was signed between the presidents of the two countries in 2016, in which cooperation on nuclear safety was stipulated, the Swiss ambassador in Tehran, Markus Leitner, told ISNA in an interview published on Monday.
He said several meetings have been held between the nuclear agencies of the two countries and consultations will continue.
Switzerland was a pioneer in cooperating with Iran in the field of nuclear safety and will not leave it alone, Leitner noted.
In February 2016, the then Swiss president Johann Schneider-Ammann and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, agreed on a "road map" for building business, financial and other links.
Support for JCPOA
The ambassador regretted Washington's decision to pull out of the international nuclear agreement with Iran after the long and difficult negotiations to conclude the deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
The Central European country hosted several rounds of negotiations between Iran and the world powers to help thrash out an agreement.
Leitner said his country has always supported the JCPOA, expressing hope that it can be saved by the other five signatories—namely Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China—given the fact that the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly verified Iranian compliance with the deal.
Donald Trump's decision to pull the US out of the historic deal and reimpose sanctions on Iran has heightened uncertainty about the future of the agreement and the prospects of international trade with the country.
European powers are struggling to save the accord by ensuring the economic benefits to Tehran that are linked to the agreement, in which world powers offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for restraints on its nuclear program.
Serious Efforts
The Swiss envoy said Europe is working hard to keep the JCPOA alive and a series of measures are being taken so that European firms can continue investing in and doing business with Iran.
The result of their efforts will be announced in the coming weeks, the ambassador said. His country has represented US interests in Iran in the absence of diplomatic ties between Tehran and Washington for close to four decades.
Major European companies have stopped or are winding down their Iran-related activities, including Swiss lender Banque de Commerce et de Placements (BCP), which said last month that it has suspended new transactions with the country.
BCP, founded in 1963, has been among the players active in Iran-related trade finance in commodities, Reuters reported, quoting financial sources.
