European Parties Not Allowed to Use JCPOA Trigger Mechanism: Iran

Spokesperson of the Iranian foreign ministry says the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action does not let the European parties use the so-called trigger mechanism against the Islamic Republic.

In a statement on Thursday, Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said Iran can use its legitimate right to counter the US unilateral and illegal violation of the nuclear agreement and Europe’s non-compliance with their commitments.

He made the remarks in response to the French Foreign Minister’s comments on the JCPOA and the possibility of using the dispute resolution mechanism (trigger mechanism).

Mousavi stated that these statements are irresponsible and non-constructive, and severely undermine the effectiveness of political initiatives to fully implement the JCPOA by all parties in line with sanctions relief system and the Joint Commission’s provisions.

Regarding the possibility of using the dispute settlement mechanism by France and other remaining parties, Mousavi also noted that the dispute resolution mechanism is to resolve the problems predicted in the JCPOA regarding compensatory measures for both sides, and Iran has used its right, defined under the Article 36.

Therefore, he added, under the current circumstances, the JCPOA does not allow European sides to resort to this mechanism.

The trigger mechanism involves a party referring a dispute to a Joint Commission comprising Iran, Russia, China, the three European powers, and the European Union and then on to the UN Security Council if that commission cannot resolve it.

If the Security Council does not vote within 30 days to continue sanctions relief, sanctions in place under previous UN resolutions would be re-instated.

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian suggested on Wednesday that Paris was seriously considering triggering the mechanism, as Tehran has repeatedly rolled back parts of the 2015 accord with world powers.

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