Envoy says EU resolutely committed to Iran nuclear deal

An envoy of the European Union (EU) on Wednesday reiterated support for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, despite mounting tensions between the United States and the Islamic republic.

Joao Vale de Almeida, head of the EU delegation to the United Nations [File photo: IC]

"At this particular challenging moment, it is important to remind ourselves of the achievements of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," Joao Vale de Almeida, head of the EU delegation to the United Nations, said at the Security Council's semi-annual briefing on the implementation of Resolution 2231, which endorsed the JCPOA on Iran's nuclear program.

"It rolled back Iran's nuclear program, blocked access to plutonium and high-enriched uranium and established the most robust verification mechanism by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)," he said, noting the JCPOA is a key element of the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture and was endorsed unanimously by UNSC Resolution 2231.

A handout picture made available by the Iranian presidential office shows, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (L) listening to head of Iran's nuclear technology organisation Ali Akbar Salehi (R) during the "nuclear technology day" in Tehran on April 9, 2019. [File photo: Iranian Presidency / AFP]

"It is the only tool available to provide the international community with the necessary assurances on Iran's nuclear program," he said.

"This is why the EU is resolutely committed to the JCPOA, continues to support it and is determined to work with the international community to preserve it," said the EU envoy.

At the briefing, Undersecretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo presented the latest secretary-general's report on the implementation of Resolution 2231. The Council's facilitator for the resolution's implementation, Belgian UN ambassador Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve, reported on the work of the Council related to Resolution 2231.