Strong Consensus on JCPOA in Brussels

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said there was solid consensus on the need to preserve the Iran nuclear deal in a meeting he had with the European Union's diplomatic chief and the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany on Thursday.

"Strong consensus in Brussels today," Zarif said in a Twitter post after the meeting, Tasnim News Agency reported.

Iran is complying with the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and the Iranian people have every right to all its dividends, he added.

The top diplomat reiterated that any move that undermines the accord is unacceptable and that the "E3 and EU [are] fully aware that Iran's continued compliance [is] conditioned on full compliance by the US."

The European officials who attended the meeting also underlined support for preserving the Iran nuclear deal.

European Union foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, insisted that the nuclear agreement "is working" and that it is vital to preserve it.

"The deal is working, it is delivering on its main goal which means keeping the Iranian nuclear program in check and under close surveillance," Mogherini said.

***No Better Alternative

The British foreign minister, Boris Johnson, said that so far no-one has come up with a better alternative.

"We greatly value the JCPOA, the nuclear deal with Iran, we think it is a considerable diplomatic accomplishment," Johnson said, stressing that "Iran is in compliance with this agreement according to the International Atomic Energy Agency."

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said Europe wanted to protect the deal "against every possible undermining decision".

Iran and P5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France, and Germany), also known as E3+3, concluded the historic accord in July 2015 and implemented it in January 2016.

Under the agreement, certain limits have been put on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all nuclear-related bans against Tehran.

In all of its reports since coming into force of the JCPOA, the IAEA has verified the non-diversion of declared nuclear material in Iran as well as the Islamic Republic's commitment to the nuclear deal.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump was to decide on Friday whether to waive nuclear sanctions on Iran or effectively end the US participation in the nuclear agreement.

Western media reported early on Friday that Trump had decided to extend Iran's sanctions relief.

In October, Trump said he would not certify Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement that was negotiated under the previous administration because Tehran was "in violation of the spirit" of the accord.

The Trump administration asked the US Congress to come up with a solution to address "many flaws" in the deal, such as existing sunset provisions and exclusion of Iran's ballistic missile program.  

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said last week that Trump would be inclined to authorize another sanctions waiver if he felt that real progress was being made toward the changes he demanded in October.