UN Chief Calls on World Powers to Make JCPOA Beneficial for Iranians

“I urge JCPOA participants to uphold their respective commitments and Member States to support the full and effective implementation of this agreement,” said Ban in a statement released on Wednesday, which coincides with the first anniversary of a UN Security Council resolution endorsing the nuclear deal.

“The JCPOA was a triumph of diplomacy… I applaud the dedication and determination shown on all sides,” he added.

The UN chief further called on the parties to the agreement to “uphold their respective commitments” and support its full and effective implementation.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has verified that Iran has carried out its commitments towards the historical deal, but the Islamic Republic complains that it still does not have access to global financial markets as part of the terms of the nuclear agreement. Many international banks still shy away from financing trade deals and processing transactions for fear of US penalties.

Ban’s latest statement was released just days after Iran, the US and Russia criticized the UN secretary general for a confidential report that said Iran’s ballistic missile launches “are not consistent with the constructive spirit” of the JCPOA, further urging Tehran to “refrain from conducting such ballistic missile launches since they have the potential to increase tensions in the region.”

Tehran has on various occasions asserted that the issue of Iran’s defense programs is clearly excluded from the nuclear agreement.

The JCPOA was reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries – the US, Britain, Russia, France, China, and Germany – on July 14, 2015, following some 23 months of intensive talks.

Under the deal, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program and provide enhanced access to international atomic monitors in return for the termination of all nuclear-related sanctions against the Islamic Republic.