EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini
said that the ministers underlined their “full
commitment to the agreement that remains
crucial for our security, even if it’s increasingly
difficult to preserve it. We will continue our efforts
to have a full implementation of the agreement.”
The EU powers that signed the 2015 Iran nuclear
deal — Britain, France and Germany — were
due to hold talks later Monday in Paris to discuss
the next steps once the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog
issues its latest findings.
A joint commission meeting of all the signatories
is likely to be held in coming days.
“We want to preserve the (deal), but Iran must
finally return to its commitments and comply
with them, otherwise we will reserve the right
to use all mechanisms that are set out in the
agreement,” said German Foreign Minister
Heiko Maas.
The EU sees the nuclear pact as a key
component of regional and global security and
has struggled to stop it from unraveling since
President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled the
United States out of it over a year ago, triggering
debilitating economic sanctions against Iran.
“It’s a great agreement and we need to keep it
alive,” Slovakia’s foreign minister, Miroslav Lajcak,
told reporters. But it remains unclear what
more the EU can do as Iran’s economy buckles
under the weight of the sanctions, apart from
renewing its appeals for restraint and dialogue.
The Europeans have poured a lot of cash
and credibility into ensuring the deal stays
afloat. A safeguard was built to keep money
flowing to Tehran, but it has not been effective.