UK, France and Germany trigger clause to impose sanctions on Iran

“We call on Iran to participate constructively in the negotiation process that is now beginning,” said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

By World Israel News Staff

In response to Iran’s continuing violations of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany have triggered a clause in the agreement that paves the way for future sanctions on Iran if deemed necessary.

The “dispute resolution” clause can be triggered by any party which believes that a signatory on the deal is not upholding its commitments. The complaint is then handled by the Joint Commission, the members of which are Iran, Russia, China, Germany, France, Britain, and the European Union, which were all part of the negotiations leading to the deal. The U.S. withdrew from the pact in May 2018.

If, after a designated period of time, the matter is not resolved through various procedures, the complaint can be taken to the U.N. Security Council which can call for a vote to impose sanctions on Iran.

“We have therefore been left with no choice, given Iran’s actions, but to register today our concerns that Iran is not meeting its commitments under the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] and to refer this matter to the Joint Commission under the Dispute Resolution Mechanism, as set out in paragraph 36 of the JCPOA,” the three European countries said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

“We call on Iran to participate constructively in the negotiation process that is now beginning,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in a separate statement on Tuesday.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who will be overseeing the process of the clause, believes that the aim of the move is to save the deal.

“The dispute resolution mechanism requires intensive efforts in good faith by all. As the coordinator, I expect all JCPOA participants to approach this process in that spirit,” Borrell said.

“In light of the ongoing dangerous escalations in the Middle East, the preservation of the JCPOA is now more important than ever,” he added.