UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called on all countries to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, now that the U.S. has withdrawn from the multilateral agreement backed by the UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

According to a confidential UN report seen by Reuters on Tuesday, Guterres called on all countries to “ensure the continuity of this agreement that is fundamental to regional and international peace and security.”

President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. unilaterally from the JCPOA in May and ordered sanctions against Iran. The first round of sanctions went into force on August 6 and the second round, which targets Iran’s oil exports and banks, were snapped back on November 4.

Iran and the European side have been discussing ways to conduct non-dollar trade in order to offset the U.S. sanctions.

France and Germany have agreed to host the special vehicle purpose (SPV), a special payment channel created by Europe as part of its efforts to keep trade flowing with Iran in defiance of U.S. sanctions.

Bloomberg reported on Monday that European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has said the SPV will be completed by the end of the year.

NA/PA