China regrets E3 decison on Iran

Triggering dispute mechanism not helpful: spokesperson

China regrets that the UK,

France and Germany – known as E3 – have launched the dispute resolution mechanism of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), believing that this will not help solve the problem or ease current tensions, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

“China believes that there is a reason for Iran to reduce the implementation of the comprehensive agreement,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Geng Shuang said during a routine press conference in response to a query on China’s thoughts on the three countries’ pulling the diplomatic trigger on JCPOA. Geng noted that the fundamental reason for Iran’s nuclear tensions lie in US’ disregard of international law, unilateral withdrawal from the comprehensive agreement and its extreme pressure on Iran, as well as its obstruction of other parties to fulfill the agreement.

China will continue to maintain close communication with relevant parties, actively promote peace talks, foster a political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue, and make unremitting efforts to safeguard the comprehensive agreement, ease tensions in the Iranian nuclear issue and the Middle East, Geng added.

The UK, France and Germany on Tuesday formally accused Iran of withdrawing from the 2015 agreement that limited its nuclear program, taking the first step toward reimposing UN sanctions.

Iran announced on January 5 that it would no longer commit to any limits on the restrictions contained in JCPOA, a deal to freeze Iran’s nuclear program in return for a progressive lifting of international sanctions, after the US assassinated Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in a drone attack, CNN reported on January 6.

European powers have violated the 2015 deal, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told a conference in India on Wednesday.

Zarif said Europe was being “bullied” by Washington.

“They are not buying oil from us, all of their companies have withdrawn from Iran. So Europe is in violation,” Zarif told a conference in New Delhi, saying the future of the deal now “depends on Europe.”

He added that the European Union “is the largest global economy. So why do you allow the United States to bully you around?”