Iran – Nuclear issue – Q&A from the press briefing (16 January 2020)

Q: Is it true that the Trump administration threatened to impose a 25% tax on imports of European cars if France, the United Kingdom and Germany did not formally accuse Iran of violating the 2015 nuclear deal? What is the response by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs to this report in the Washington Post?

A: Please refer to the statement issued by the heads of state and government of France, the UK and Germany on Sunday, January 12, in which they reaffirmed their attachment to the JCPOA and to its preservation.

We are committed to this agreement and remain strictly within its framework. With this in mind - and the minister reaffirmed this again yesterday at the National Assembly - we have decided to use all provisions of the JCPOA, including the dispute resolution mechanism, not in order to withdraw from the agreement, but to establish a forum for political dialogue with Iran within the agreement.

During our recent exchanges, the U.S. administration took note of this position and indicated that it respected it.

Please also refer to the joint communiqué issued by the ministers of the E3 (France, Germany, United Kingdom) and the EU high representative on November 11, 2019, in which they affirmed “their readiness to consider all mechanisms in the JCPOA, including the dispute resolution mechanism, to resolve the issues related to Iran’s implementation of its JCPOA commitments.”

Q: Can you confirm the date on which the dispute resolution mechanism in the Iran nuclear deal will be triggered?

A: It is up to the EU high representative, in his capacity as coordinator of the JCPOA Joint Commission, to set out the details and timing of the process.