"We, the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany and the United
Kingdom, share fundamental common security interests, along
with our European partners. One of them is upholding the
nuclear non-proliferation regime, and ensuring that Iran never
develops a nuclear weapon. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action (JCPoA) plays a key role in this respect, as our Leaders
have just unambiguously reaffirmed. The JCPoA is a key
achievement of multilateral diplomacy and the global
non-proliferation architecture. We negotiated the JCPoA with
the conviction that it would decisively contribute to building
confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear
programme, as well as to international peace and security.
Together, we have stated unequivocally our regret and concern
at the decision by the United States to withdraw from the JCPoA
and to re-impose sanctions on Iran. Since May 2018, we have
worked together to preserve the agreement. The E3 have fully
upheld our JCPoA commitments, including sanctions-lifting as
foreseen under the terms of the agreement. In addition to the
lifting of all sanctions, required by our commitments under the
agreement, we have worked tirelessly to support legitimate
trade with Iran, including through the INSTEX special purpose
vehicle.
Following Iran’s announcement in May 2019 that it would cease
meeting some of its commitments under the JCPoA, we have sought
to persuade Iran to change course. The E3 have worked hard to
address Iran’s concerns and bring it back into compliance with
its commitments under the nuclear agreement. We have also
undertaken and supported diplomatic efforts, such as France’s
initiative, to deescalate tensions and to bring Iran and the US
to the negotiating table for a comprehensive negotiated
solution. The E3 remain fully committed to this diplomatic
effort and intend to resume it as soon as conditions allow.
However, in the meantime Iran has continued to break key
restrictions set out in the JCPoA. Iran’s actions are
inconsistent with the provisions of the nuclear agreement and
have increasingly severe and non-reversible proliferation
implications.
We do not accept the argument that Iran is entitled to reduce
compliance with the JCPoA. Contrary to its statements, Iran has
never triggered the JCPoA Dispute Resolution Mechanism and has
no legal grounds to cease implementing the provisions of the
agreement.
We publicly stated our concerns, along with the High
Representative of the European Union, on 11 November. At the
Joint Commission on 6 December, we made clear to Iran that
unless it reversed course, we would have no choice but to take
action within the framework of the JCPoA, including through the
Dispute Resolution Mechanism.
Instead of reversing course, Iran has chosen to further reduce
compliance with the JCPoA and announced on 5 January that “the
Islamic Republic of Iran, in the fifth step in reducing its
commitments, discards the last key component of its limitations
in the JCPOA, which is the ‘limit on the number of
centrifuges’”, and that “the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear
program no longer faces any operational restrictions”,
including on enrichment and enrichment-related matters.
We have therefore been left with no choice, given Iran’s
actions, but to register today our concerns that Iran is not
meeting its commitments under the JCPoA and to refer this
matter to the Joint Commission under the Dispute Resolution
Mechanism, as set out in paragraph 36 of the JCPoA.
We do this in good faith with the overarching objective of
preserving the JCPoA and in the sincere hope of finding a way
forward to resolve the impasse through constructive diplomatic
dialogue, while preserving the agreement and remaining within
its framework. In doing so, our three countries are not joining
a campaign to implement maximum pressure against Iran. Our hope
is to bring Iran back into full compliance with its commitments
under the JCPoA.
France, Germany and the United Kingdom once again express our
commitment to the JCPoA and our determination to work with all
participants to preserve it. We remain convinced that this
landmark multilateral international agreement and its
non-proliferation benefits enhance our shared security
interests and strengthen the rules-based international order.
We are grateful to the Russian Federation and People’s Republic
of China, with whom we remain in close consultation, for
joining us in our common endeavor to preserve the JCPoA. We
also thank the High Representative of the European Union for
his ongoing good offices in this regard. Given recent events,
it is all the more important that we do not add a nuclear
proliferation crisis to the current escalation threatening the
whole region.
