China Urges Saving JCPOA

TEHRAN (defapress) – China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing is urging Tehran to keep its commitments under the nuclear deal, warning against scrapping the pact 'so easily'.

News ID: 77805

Date: 18 June 2019 - 14:07

"The International Atomic Energy Agency has confirmed 15 times that Iran fulfills its obligations under the JCPOA. In the existing situation we hope that Iran will very thoroughly contemplate its decision and will not reject the deal so easily", Wang said at a press conference held after his talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem in Beijing, according to AFP.

Wang Yi added that China remains firmly committed to protect the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"China's commitment to protect the JCPOA remains unchanged. As a specific measure, China will closely cooperate with all the sides in order to reach progress in modernizing the Arak nuclear reactor".

His comment came one day after the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran announced that the country would in late June accelerate uranium enrichment activities and its stockpile of enriched uranium.

On May 8, 2018, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the nuclear accord.

Following the US withdrawal, Iran and the remaining parties launched talks to save the accord.

However, the EU’s failure to ensure Iran’s economic interests forced Tehran to stop honoring certain commitments under JCPOA in May 2019.

Iran has also set a 60-day deadline for the remaining JCPOA parties to fulfill their undertakings.

In a meeting with Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Helga Schmid on Saturday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi reminded the EU parties that the two-month deadline will by no means be extended.

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