EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini: EU committed to JCPOA implementation

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini arrives for the opening of the Mideast peace conference in Paris on January 15, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has stressed that the 28-nation bloc will “protect and preserve” Iran’s historic nuclear deal with the P5+1 group of countries.

“We have made very clear from the beginning, and we will continue to do that, that first of all, one year after its implementation it's bringing good results to the rest of the world, including the Americans... [and] Europe, and that the European Union is committed to preserve and implement the deal,” she said during an interview with Reuters on Wednesday.

During his election campaign, US President-elect Donald Trump threatened that he would “tear up” the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or try to renegotiate its terms if elected president. He has also referred to the nuclear agreement as "the worst deal ever negotiated."

She further stressed that the deal is neither unilateral nor bilateral, meaning that it cannot be renegotiated by one party alone. “So it's a multilateral framework and we are ready protect and to preserve it," added Mogherini.

On Tuesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also stressed that any manner of negotiations on the JCPOA would be meaningless.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attends a press conference in Tehran on January 17, 2017. (Photo by iribnews.ir)

“The JCPOA is not a mutual deal, but a multilateral agreement. Therefore, it will be meaningless if we wanted to negotiate on the JCPOA anew. There will be no new negotiations,” he said.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China -- plus Germany started implementing the JCPOA on January 16, 2016.

Under the nuclear deal, Iran undertook to put limitations on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.

Since the implementation of the JCPOA, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has on multiple occasions confirmed Iran’s compliance with its obligations under the nuclear agreement.