Josep Borrell, the new EU foreign policy chief, has attached great importance to preserving the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the JCPOA, saying “collective responsibility” is needed to stop the deal from breaking apart.

“We have a collective responsibility to preserve #IranDeal,” he tweeted on Saturday.

He added, “Following the Joint Commission, as a coordinator, I support the call for full implementation & to reverse the recent negative trend.”

The Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was held in Vienna on Friday.

A statement was issued after the meeting saying the remaining parties to the deal are determined to preserve the nuclear agreement.

“All participants emphasized the key importance of full and effective implementation by all sides as well as their determination to pursue all efforts to preserve the agreement,” read the statement published on the European Union official website.

U.S. President Donald Trump walked away from the multilateral pact in May 2018 and introduced the harshest ever sanctions on Iran.

After waiting for a full year, Iran started to gradually reduce its commitments to the nuclear deal in response to the U.S. and inaction by the remaining parties, especially Europeans, to shield Tehran from sanctions effect.  

So far, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has taken four steps to cut back commitments in accordance with paragraph 36 of the JCPOA which “allows one side, under certain circumstances, to stop complying with the deal if the other side is out of compliance.”

Iran has repeatedly said if the European parties to the nuclear deal protect its economy from the U.S. sanctions it will reverse its decisions.

NA/PA