Zarif says JCPOA survival depends on EU

TEHRAN– Foreign Minister Zarif, who is in China to discuss the future of the nuclear deal in light of US withdrawal, said JCPOA would stay in place as long as EU guarantees that Iran’s interests are not violated, according to the Mehr news Agency.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif made the remarks while speaking to reporters upon arrival at Beijing International Airport on Sunday morning. He added that “the European Union has made the most demands on Iran after US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, urging us to stay committed to the international agreement.”

“European countries must guarantee that despite the US pullout from the JCPOA, the interests of the Iranian nation will be preserved,” he added.

Last Tuesday, Trump announced his decision to pull out from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and reinstate sanctions that were lifted under the agreement. The other signatories to the deal – China, Russia, and E3, voiced their continued commitment to the JCPOA in the light of US withdrawal.

Zarif went on add that Iran’s relations with China, Russia and the EU, while always on the positive side, have now gained more significance after the US exit from the nuclear deal.

“China is one of the closest allies of Iran, and today I will talk [with Chinese officials] about our decision to whether continue implementing the JCPOA and the kind of guarantees that the other sides to the deal will give us that our interests will not be violated,” he said.

Zarif further hailed the close and friendly ties with China both in the pre- and post-JCPOA periods, voicing confidence that China would remain by Iran’s side today.

Zarif’s schedule will then take him to Russia and the EU Headquarters in Brussels for working visits aimed at discussing the possibility of keeping the nuclear deal in place in light of US withdrawal.

M.Wassouf