TEHRAN – The joint commission of the nuclear deal, which is tasked to monitor the implementation of the agreement, met in Vienna on Friday.

Representatives from all sides of the nuclear deal, including Iran, Russia, China, the U.S., Britain, France, and Germany as well as the European Union gathered to address Iran’s complaints about U.S. breach of its obligations under the deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA.

The deal was inked in July 2015. It lifted nuclear-related sanctions on Iran and in exchange put certain limits on Tehran’s nuclear work.

Speaking to reporters in Vienna on Thursday, Abbas Araqchi, the Iranian deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs,  said the newest issues surrounding the process of the implementation of the JCPOA and Iran’s complaints about United States’ failure to meet its obligations under the agreement would be discussed during the meeting.

He further emphasized that over the past year and a half, Iran has remained committed to its obligations as confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The seventh session of the JCPOA joint commission was held in Vienna in late April. The meeting focused on various issues, including proper implementation of the deal as well as all parties’ compliance with it. It was co-chaired by Araqchi and EU's Deputy Foreign Policy Chief Helga Maria Schmid.

Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the Trump administration’s attempt to reimpose sanctions on Iran was a violation of the nuclear deal.

“They have been talking about ‘scrapping the deal,’” he said. “Then they came to realize that would not be globally welcome. So now they are trying to make it impossible for Iran to benefit.”

On Tuesday the Trump administration confirmed that Iran had met its obligations under the deal. However, it slapped new sanctions against Iran for its missile program which Tehran insists is for defensive purposes. 

MH/PA