Mogherini All Talk Again and No Action on Iran
BRUSSELS (Dispatches) – EU policy chief Federica Mogherini has said the United States cannot impose its policies on the 28-nation bloc's "legitimate trade" relations with Iran.
"We Europeans cannot accept that a foreign power – even our closest friend and ally – makes decisions over our legitimate trade with another country," Mogherini told pan-European think tank, the European Council on Foreign Relations.
The EU, she said, is working with the rest of the international community to keep alive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) despite U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal.
The Iran nuclear deal "has so far been implemented in full, as certified by the International Atomic Energy Agency in 13 consecutive reports," she said.
President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal in May and decided to reimpose unilateral sanctions against Tehran.
Mogherini further rejected claims that Europe is motivated mainly by economic or trade considerations to preserve the nuclear deal and said all efforts by the EU to preserve the JCPOA have been made "because of our collective security."
"That is not the case: we do this to prevent a nuclear non-proliferation agreement that is working from being dismantled, and to prevent a major security crisis in the Middle East," she said.
The top EU diplomat also said the EU should guarantee that firms seeking to do legitimate business with Iran are allowed to do so.
"This is what we are working on right now: tools that will assist, protect, and reassure economic actors pursuing legitimate business with Iran. It is true that this situation has triggered a conversation on European economic sovereignty," Mogherini said.
So far, the Europeans have defaulted on two deadlines which they had announced for putting in place a financial mechanism to maintain trade with Iran. The mechanism purportedly aims to ensure economic benefits for Iran from staying in the 2015 nuclear deal after Trump recanted it.
Mogherini said last Wednesday that efforts to implement the special purpose vehicle for trade with Iran would continue well into 2019.
Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif, however, said Iran would not stand by for the Europeans to fulfill their commitments under the multilateral nuclear agreement.
"The Europeans are acting slowly in the fulfillment of their commitments under the nuclear agreement," Zarif said, adding, "We will not wait around for them unless they adopt practical steps."
Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi also warned that Tehran's patience was running out.
He said EU's efforts were encouraging but "we have not yet seen any tangible results.
"We Europeans cannot accept that a foreign power – even our closest friend and ally – makes decisions over our legitimate trade with another country," Mogherini told pan-European think tank, the European Council on Foreign Relations.
The EU, she said, is working with the rest of the international community to keep alive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) despite U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal.
The Iran nuclear deal "has so far been implemented in full, as certified by the International Atomic Energy Agency in 13 consecutive reports," she said.
President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal in May and decided to reimpose unilateral sanctions against Tehran.
Mogherini further rejected claims that Europe is motivated mainly by economic or trade considerations to preserve the nuclear deal and said all efforts by the EU to preserve the JCPOA have been made "because of our collective security."
"That is not the case: we do this to prevent a nuclear non-proliferation agreement that is working from being dismantled, and to prevent a major security crisis in the Middle East," she said.
The top EU diplomat also said the EU should guarantee that firms seeking to do legitimate business with Iran are allowed to do so.
"This is what we are working on right now: tools that will assist, protect, and reassure economic actors pursuing legitimate business with Iran. It is true that this situation has triggered a conversation on European economic sovereignty," Mogherini said.
So far, the Europeans have defaulted on two deadlines which they had announced for putting in place a financial mechanism to maintain trade with Iran. The mechanism purportedly aims to ensure economic benefits for Iran from staying in the 2015 nuclear deal after Trump recanted it.
Mogherini said last Wednesday that efforts to implement the special purpose vehicle for trade with Iran would continue well into 2019.
Foreign Minister Muhammad Javad Zarif, however, said Iran would not stand by for the Europeans to fulfill their commitments under the multilateral nuclear agreement.
"The Europeans are acting slowly in the fulfillment of their commitments under the nuclear agreement," Zarif said, adding, "We will not wait around for them unless they adopt practical steps."
Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi also warned that Tehran's patience was running out.
He said EU's efforts were encouraging but "we have not yet seen any tangible results.