Norway supports EU efforts to safeguard Iran nuclear deal

The Norwegian Foreign Ministry says Oslo supports efforts by the European Union to safeguard the Iran nuclear deal, amid the bloc's promises that it will protect the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) following the US withdrawal from it.

Oslo backs efforts by the EU to maintain the JCPOA, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday after a meeting between the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Ali Akbar Salehi, and the Norwegian foreign minister, Ine Eriksen Søreide, in the Norwegian capital, IRNA reported.

The ministry described the talks between the two sides as constructive and said the Iranian and Norwegian officials highlighted the significance of the JCPOA in the reinforcement of regional stability and security.

The Norwegian foreign minister also urged the Iranian side to continue to fulfill its obligations under the JCPOA, the ministry added.

Earlier, Salehi, who is in Norway to attend the annual Oslo Forum, also sat down with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg as well as UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to discuss the latest developments regarding the Iran nuclear deal following the US withdrawal from the JCPOA.

Last month, US President Donald Trump announced Washington’s pullout from the JCPOA and vowed to impose “the highest level” of economic bans on the Islamic Republic, drawing strong criticisms from the remaining parties and the entire world community.

Iran has said it will remain committed to the deal for the time being, pending negotiations with other signatories to the JCPOA to see if Tehran’s interests would still be protected under an accord without the US.

Separately on Wednesday, a senior adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the Europeans should force the US to stop obstructing the implementation of the JCPOA.

“Europeans must fulfill their obligations under the JCPOA and force the United States to stop its acts of sabotage,” Ali Akbar Velayati told reporters in Tehran.

The former foreign minister said the Iranian nation had announced its conditions for remaining in the JCPOA and would by no means compromise them.

SS