French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated that his country and other European parties to Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement are seriously pursuing the fulfillment of all their obligations under the deal.
He made the statement in a telephone conversation with President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday evening.
“France will carefully observe regional developments and will do all in its power to protect Iran’s interests under the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the formal name of the nuclear deal],” he said, adding that a recently devised special payment channel is an indication of Europe’s will to preserve the deal, the Iranian president’s website reported.
He also assured that Paris, along with other European signatories, will do its best to encourage the United States to ease sanctions on Tehran.
“Without a doubt, the role of Russia and China is significant in this regard,” he said.
JCPOA was signed between Iran and the six world powers, but the US last year walked away from it and reimposed the lifted sanctions.
To salvage the accord, the remaining parties are required to make up for the negative economic impacts of Washington’s unilateral move on Iran.
As part of such compensatory efforts, the European Union designed a special purpose vehicle through which Iran can continue its international trade on a non-dollar basis.
France, jointly with Germany and the United Kingdom, officially registered the system known as INSTEX (Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges) late January.
However, it is yet to be activated, pending the finalization of the mechanism’s details and the full establishment of a corresponding entity in Iran.
The instrument aims to enable legal trade between Iran and the EU in the first phase before being expanded to cover third parties as well.
No Notable Practical Step
In his phone conversation, Rouhani reiterated Tehran’s demand for the full commitment of both sides to the terms of the nuclear accord so that Iran can enjoy its legitimate economic benefits under the deal.
“Despite meeting all its obligations, Iran has not yet seen any notable practical measure from the other party,” he said.
He highlighted the 14 consecutive reports of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog confirming Iran’s full adherence to the terms of JCPOA, calling on Europe to step up efforts to effectively operationalize the financial instrument.
Earlier in the day, China and the EU also reaffirmed their commitment to the “continued, full and effective” implementation of JCPOA in a joint statement released after their 21st leaders’ meeting in Brussels, Belgium.
The two sides recalled that JCPOA is a key element of the global non-proliferation architecture and a significant diplomatic achievement endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council in its Resolution 2231, the statement said, Xinhua reported.
They also reaffirmed in the statement their will to preserve the deal’s economic benefits for Iran.
China and the EU recalled the importance of the Arak reactor modernization project and the need to continue their joint efforts in this regard, it said.
They welcomed the fact that the International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed in 14 consecutive reports Iran’s continued adherence to its nuclear-related commitments.
