2015 nuclear deal parties to meet with Iran in Vienna

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) – An extraordinary meeting of the joint commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will take place in Vienna on Sunday.

The EU on Tuesday said in a statement that the commission will be attended by China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and Iran.

"The meeting has been convened at the request of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Iran, and will examine issues linked to the implementation of the JCPOA in all its aspects," the statement read.

The meeting will be chaired by Helga Maria Schmid, secretary-general of the European External Action Service (EEAS), on behalf of the EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi, for his part, said Sunday's meeting will be no substitute to the next meeting of the foreign ministers.

"[It] is rather scheduled to provide an opportunity for putting forward the subjects and making better arrangements for the ministerial meeting," Mousavi said in a statement.

The nuclear agreement was signed in 2015 between Iran, Russia, China, France, U.K., and the U.S., plus Germany.

However, last year, U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal and intensified pressure on Tehran by re-imposing sanctions targeting the country’s energy and banking sectors.

Tensions between the U.S. and Iran also escalated last month after two oil tankers were attacked at the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. held Iran responsible for the attacks, an accusation denied by Tehran.