Tehran, Iran, July 29
Trend:
Seizure of the Iranian oil tanker by the UK in the Strait of Gibraltar is considered as breach to JCPOA, Iranian Deputy FM said.
The Grace 1 tanker was detained by authorities in Gibraltar with the help of the British royal marines on the suspicion that it was ferrying a cargo of 2.1 million barrels of crude oil to Syria, in contravention to European sanctions.
“The Vienna meeting is held due to the operationalization of the reduction of Iran's commitments and the request of European countries to examine these actions, as well as because of the actions of European countries that Iran considers to be a violation or failure to fulfill their obligations,” the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Abbas Araghchi said in Vienna on July 28, Trend reports citing IRIB.
Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, who attended an urgent meeting of the Joint Commission in Vienna, said that there were developments in the last month making it necessary to hold an urgent meeting of the Joint Commission.
“In the meantime, we declined our commitments to JCPOA, IAEA published its reports and the United States asked IAEA to hold its Board of Governors' meeting against Iran. However, the European countries took a rational position; they stated that it is not the Board's issue and called for joint commission meeting instead,” said Araghchi.
"At the same time, we consider the seizure of the Iranian oil tanker by UK in the Strait of Gibraltaras a violation of JCPOA,” Araghchi added.
“The remaining Iran deal members should not hinder the export of Iranian oil," he said.
"At the previous meeting, we decided to hold a Joint Commission at the level of foreign ministers, and this is still on the agenda,” he noted. "On the sidelines of the Commission meetings, we will have bilateral and multilateral meetings with the member states.”
Heading a high-ranking delegation of Iran, Araghchi participated in the meeting to discuss the nuclear deal with the remaining parties to the historic pact.