Europe takes first steps to punish Iran

Berlin- European powers took their first step on Tuesday towards punishing Iran for breaking its nuclear agreement, triggering the deal’s mechanism to resolve breaches.

The foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany, plus the foreign affairs chief of the European Union, said in a statement that Iran was “pursuing activities inconsistent with its commitments” under the deal, known as the JCPoA.

“These compliance issues must be addressed within the framework of the JCPoA, and a Joint Commission should be convened urgently,” they said.

The three European powers are the remaining Western signatories to Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement, which was abandoned by the United States last year.

Convening a joint commission of signatories - the Europeans plus Russia and China - is the first step in a process foreseen in the agreement that could eventually lead to a “snapback”, bringing back the international sanctions lifted by the deal.

“Iran has stated that it wants to remain within the JCPoA.

It must act accordingly by reversing these activities and returning to full JCPoA compliance without delay,” the European countries said.