TEHRAN — French ambassador to Tehran Philippe Thiebaud has underlined Paris’s interest in preserving the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reaffirming the seriousness and interest of his country and the European Union in maintaining the important agreement.

Thiebaud made the remarks in a meeting with Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO) on Monday.

During the meeting, the French envoy discussed the latest status of the agreement and expectation of the JCPOA parties to maintain the agreement given Iran’s scaling down of its commitments under the deal, Iran Press reported.

The two sides also exchanged views on bilateral cooperation in various fields of nuclear science and technology, including fusion and radiopharmaceuticals, and the deepening of relations in the field of nuclear industry.

Washington withdrew from the internationally-endorsed nuclear deal with Iran on May 8, 2018, reimposed the toughest-ever sanctions against the country and started a plan to zero down Tehran’s oil sales.

Under the nuclear agreement, Tehran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the termination of economic and financial sanctions.

Following the U.S. withdrawal, Iran remained fully committed to the JCPOA for a year, but announced on the anniversary of Washington’s bellicose move that its “strategic patience” is over and would gradually reduce its commitments to the deal at 60-day intervals, which were designed as deadlines for Europe to protect Tehran’s interests under the deal.

Tehran has repeatedly said its measures will be revered as soon as Europe finds practical ways to shield the Iranian economy from unilateral U.S. sanctions.

MH/PA