BRUSSELS—The European Union hosts Thursday in Brussels a meeting with the Foreign Ministers of Iran, France, Germany and Britain to discuss developments in the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran.
According to a statement of the EU’s external service, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini ‘’will convene a meeting with Ministers of Foreign Affairs of E3 countries – France, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Germany, Sigmar Gabriel, and the UK Boris Johnson – and Iranian Foreign Minister Jawad Zarif on Thursday 11 January in Brussels.’’
‘’The meeting will take place in the context of the ongoing work to ensure a full and continued implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,’’ the statement said.
According to a diplomatic ousrce, the Europeans will reaffirm their support for the Iran nuclear deal that US President Donald Trump has rejected.
“The aim is to send a message to Washington that Iran is complying and that it is better to have the nuclear agreement than to isolate Tehran,” one diplomat quoted by Reuters said.
President Trump, who has called the Iran deal ”a total and complete catastrophe” must decide by mid-January whether to continue waiving U.S. sanctions on Iran’s oil exports under the terms of the pact. The State Department said on Tuesday the Trump administration was expected to decide on Friday.
The decision comes as Iran’s government deals with protests over economic hardships and corruption that are linked to frustration among younger Iranians who hoped to see more benefits from the lifting of sanctions.
At Thursday’s meeting, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is to raise his country’s concerns about the deal as well as its ballistic missile program while also seeking to keep dialogue open with Iran, a French spokesman said.