Joint Commission of Iran nuclear deal to convene in Vienna Wednesday: EU

The remaining parties to a landmark nuclear deal signed in 2015 between Iran and the 5+1 group are to hold a Joint Commission meeting in Vienna on Wednesday, the EU's diplomatic service says.

"The Joint Commission will be chaired on behalf of the EU High Representative Josep Borrell Fontelles by EEAS (European External Action Service) Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid and will be attended by representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, United Kingdom and Iran," it said in press release on Monday.

The meeting comes as the EU3 -- the three European signatories to the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- accused Iran on January 14 of violating the terms of the accord and announced that they plan to trigger a dispute settlement mechanism that could eventually restore UN Security Council sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Under the mechanism outlined in the deal, the EU should also inform the other parties -- Russia and China -- as well as Iran itself. There would then be 15 days to resolve the differences through the JCPOA Joint Commission. If no settlement is reached through the commission, the foreign ministers of involved countries will then discuss them for another 15 days. In case of need, an advisory board will be formed to help foreign ministers.

The historic deal has been slowly crumbling since US President Donald Trump withdrew from it in May 2018 and re-imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran. The EU3, under Washington’s pressure, failed to protect Tehran’s business interests under the JCPOA against the American bans.

ME