TEHRAN – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday that a meeting of the joint commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will take place in Vienna on Friday to discuss the U.S. exit from the multilateral nuclear agreement.

The commission will be convened upon Iran’s request, Araqchi said on the sidelines of a closed session of parliament.

The joint commission was set up by the six world powers, Iran and the European Union to handle any complaints about the nuclear deal’s implementation.

“On Friday, the joint commission ... will be held at Iran’s request, and without the United States, to discuss the consequences of America’s withdrawal, and how the remaining countries can continue their commitment to the deal,” Araqchi explained.

Since Trump’s exit from the nuclear pact on May 8 Iran has been seeking guarantees that its economic interests are protected otherwise it will resume nuclear activities at a greater speed.

According to the nuclear deal, Iran is tasked to put limits on its nuclear activities in exchange for termination of economic and financial sanctions. 

The deal was signed in July 2015 and went into force in January 2016.

Federica Mogherini, the EU foreign policy chief, issued a statement on Friday saying that the 28-nation bloc is united in preserving the international nuclear deal.

In a press conference in Tehran on Saturday, European Commissioner for Energy and Climate Miguel Arias Canete said, “We have sent a message to our Iranian friends that as long as they are sticking to the (nuclear) agreement the Europeans will... fulfill their commitment.”

Canete tried to reassure Iran that the EU remained committed to salvaging the nuclear deal after the U.S. pullout.

NA/PA