Catherine Ray, the spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said on Tuesday that the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, should be “preserved” and “maintained”.

“It is bearing fruit and we continue to support this agreement and its implementation,” KUNA quoted her as saying during a press conference. 

The nuclear deal was signed between Iran, the European Union, Germany and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia - in July 2015. The agreement went into effect in January 2016.

U.S. President Donald Trump, in a statement issued on October 13, refused to certify Iran’s compliance to the nuclear deal and asked Congress to decide about the fate of the nuclear deal.

However, Congress passed the ball back to Trump by letting the deadline on reimposing sanctions on Iran pass. Trump is expected to decide whether to keep the agreement or abrogates it on Friday.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) warned on Tuesday that withdrawing from the nuclear deal could have consequences for the ongoing crisis with North Korea.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif left Tehran for Moscow on Wednesday to hold consultations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on various issues especially the JCPOA.

He is also scheduled to visit Brussels and hold talks with his French, British and German counterparts on the nuclear deal on Thursday.