International community responsible for protecting JCPOA: Iranian diplomat

The international community has a responsibility to protect the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major world powers, which is officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and was the outcome of a multilateral endeavor, says Iran's deputy foreign minister for political affairs.

"The JCPOA is an achievement of international diplomacy and world countries are responsible for observing, implementing and protecting it," said Abbas Araqchi, who was attending a joint press conference with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu in Beijing on Sunday, Press TV reported.

The Iranian deputy foreign minister said the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 had endorsed the agreement, adding that the decision made by the United States, as a permanent member of the Council, to withdraw from the accord was a breach of the said resolution.

The US has not only pulled out of the JCPOA, but also exerted pressure on other signatories to withdraw, the Iranian diplomat said, adding that it was unacceptable for other countries to violate the Security Council's resolutions.

“Nobody should question Iran's measures to reduce its commitments under the JCPOA. The International Atomic Energy Agency, as the sole responsible authority in this field, has time and again confirmed Iran's full compliance with the JCPOA and other nuclear-related issues,” Araqchi said.

"However, we welcome diplomatic efforts by the signatory parties, particularly China, to find an effective solution to end the JCPOA crisis since we believe saving the JCPOA would be a major multilateral diplomatic success," Araqchi said.

For his part, China’s Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu told reporters that in his country’s opinion, withdrawal of the Trump's administration from the JCPOA was the root cause of the existing crisis surrounding Iran's nuclear deal.

"The US withdrawal from the JCPOA and its maximum pressure policy on Iran are the root causes of the current Iran nuclear crisis,” Ma was quoted by Reuters as saying. He added, “The JCPOA is an important outcome of multilateral diplomacy endorsed by UN Security Council resolutions, and an important component of the international order based on the international law.”

The Chinese official also stated that the nuclear deal with Iran must be effectively maintained and protected.

“The Iranian side stressed that all measures taken to reduce compliance are reversible and will continue to be subject to the supervision and inspection of the International Atomic Energy Agency. China hopes that all participating parties of the JCPOA will exercise restraint and adhere to resolving differences within the framework of the JCPOA joint committee," said Ma.

Ma stressed that China supports the IAEA in carrying out its supervision and inspection duties in an objective and impartial manner in the implementation of the JCPOA so as to fully and effectively implement the deal.

“All parties should safeguard Iran's legitimate economic interests as a participant in the JCPOA… At the same time, the United States should lift sanctions against Iran and return to the right track of the implementation of the JCPOA," Ma added.

SS