A meeting of the Joint Commission of the six world powers and Iran coordinated by the European Union was held in Vienna on March 16. The Joint Commission remains the only mechanism authorised to review the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) approved by UNSC resolution 2231.

All participants welcomed Iran's strict compliance with its obligations under the comprehensive agreement, which is regularly confirmed by the IAEA. This is direct confirmation of the fact that the JCPOA is doing its job in terms of ensuring the exclusively peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear programme.

The meeting participants confirmed that Iran's compliance with the “nuclear” portion of the agreement should be accompanied by strict compliance with all commitments by the corresponding parties to ensure proper environment for productive trade, economic and financial cooperation with Iran, as well as the development of cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The proper balance between these pillars of the agreement is the foundation for a successful and sustainable implementation of the JCPOA.

Russia stressed that violating the principles set forth in the JCPOA and deviating from its basic philosophy will inevitably affect the non-proliferation regime, and called upon all politically responsible forces to rally around the agreement in the interest of maintaining international peace and security.