On December 6, Vienna hosted a meeting of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA participants – Russia, Britain, Germany, Iran, China and France – at the level of Political Directors/Deputy Foreign Ministers under the coordination of the European External Action Service. Russia was represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov.

The participants reiterated their firm and unswerving commitment to the JCPOA and unanimously agreed on the need for all parties to comply with the Action Plan. The US’s destructive anti-Iranian policy is the only obstacle to restoring the balance laid down in the JCPOA. It unilaterally refused to hold up its end of the nuclear deal approved by UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and hampers its implementation by the remaining parties. In this context, it is fundamentally important that Iran’s steps to reduce its commitments under the JCPOA are reversible, and the Iranian nuclear programme remains under tight IAEA control.

Russia pointed out the pressing need to combine the remaining JCPOA participants’ efforts in order to maintain the viability of the comprehensive agreements on the Iranian nuclear programme and to create a secure environment for implementing important elements of the Action Plan, such as reconfiguring the Fordow Plant to produce stable isotopes and upgrading the Arak Reactor.

Sergey Ryabkov held separate meetings with French Foreign Ministry’s Political Director Philippe Errera, Director General of the Department of Arms Control and Disarmament of the Chinese Foreign Ministry Fu Cong, and Secretary General of the European External Action Service Helga Schmid on the sidelines of the Joint Commission meeting.