JCPOA implementation axis of Tehran-London ties in last Iranian year

In reaction to President Trump's latest warning about US exit from the JCPOA, the British Foreign Office has pinpointed the importance of the deal saying it has made the world safer, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency in London.

Since coming to office, the US president under influence of the Zionist regime and pressure from radical Republicans, has been threatening to leave the JCPOA despite the IAEA's confirmation of Iran's abidance by its commitments under the deal.

Instead of respecting Washington's obligations in this regard, Trump said in December he would waive Iran nuclear sanction for last time, setting a deadline for the Congress and its allies in the Group 5+1 to remove what it called flaws in the deal.

Despite all these pressures, British authorities alongside other European signatories to the JCPOA (Germany and France) underlined their commitment to fully implement the deal. Britain, in spite of its difference of opinion with Tehran over some regional issues, made more diplomatic efforts to preserve the international pact and in their contacts with US officials they reiterated the need for allowing Iran to use the benefits of the deal.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson traveled to Washington in November for consultations with some US Congressmen on ways of preserving the JCPOA. During his talks, Johnson in an effort to remove the West's concerns about Iran's nuclear program said the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action should not overshadowed by political differences with the country.

In an interview with reporters, the British foreign secretary said the JCPOA had made the world safer and this explained why the international community's abidance by the deal was of great importance. He added that the deal has been effective and caused Iran to hand over 95 percent of its uranium reserves.
Although the recent firing of Rex Tillerson as US secretary of state and his replacement with ex-director of CIA Mike Pompeo has to a large extent rendered Britain's diplomatic efforts ineffective, political observers and analysts such as Jack Straw, ex-foreign secretary of the UK, are of the belief that Pompeo in his new post as the chief of the US diplomatic apparatus is unable to abolish the JCPOA.

In a recent interview with IRNA, Jack Straw said Washington would feel regret if it left the JCPOA.

Peter Westmacott, former British Ambassador in Washington in an interview with IRNA criticized US President Donald Trump’s rhetoric against the JCPOA and said that there is no scope to reopen the agreement.

He highlighted that British officials as well as Europeans have said firmly to the USA not to kill the JCPOA. On assessing the JCPOA, he emphasized that it is extremely important, although in his view it is not perfect and as he argues in any negotiation, neither of two sides could be one hundred percent satisfied, as there are always compromises.

He said that he regrets that the economic aspect of the deal had not worked for Iran as expected because of American unilateral sanctions, as multilateral ones were suspended. He said that there is a debate on what happens when the previsions of JPCOA expires, but top priority is to make the agreement work.

On Donald Trump’s stance on JCPOA, he asserted that Trump has a different view from other signatories of the deal, but there is no scope to reopen the agreement and the agreement is there to be implemented. He mentioned that there are however things that can be done about the ballistic missiles, so-called support for terrorist groups or what are called ‘sunset clauses’ in the agreement.

He said that while different people say different things about the agreement but the UK Government and individuals like him believe that Iran has complied with the JCPOA and IAEA is also satisfied. He asserted that in his view President Trump has not killed the agreement, has not given up on it, he has not destroyed it, but has put some challenges for the Congress and to the other signatories of the agreement.
Asked whether the United Kingdom follows US in case that they break the agreement, he answered by saying that although he cannot talk for the UK government but believes that the UK has to do what they can for JCPOA to survive. He also accepted that the Trump administration had not been successful in building up a consensus among all parties in order to break the deal, and in fact there is no such consensus in the Congress as well. He also said that in his view there is not much appetite in the Congress that JPCOA should be killed.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was reached on 14 July 2015 between Iran, the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States—plus Germany),[a] and the European Union after 20 months of extensive talks.

With the passage of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 on July 20, 2015, the deal became a legal agreement thus abolishing six other resolution already approved by the Council against Iran.

A glance at last year's developments in Iran-Britain ties indicates a noticeable surge in mutual trade exchanges in post-JCPOA era.

In its annual report released in December, the British Iranian Joint Chamber of Commerce showed a 50 percent increase in trade between the two countries in the post -JCPOA era.

According to the report, the volume of trade exchanges between Iran and Britain increased from 112.9 million euro to 171.5 million euro in 2016.

In an interview with IRNA, Chairman of the British Iranian Joint Chamber of Commerce Lord Lamont called the JCPOA a 'historic achievement'. He also said Britain was after upgrading the level of trade ties with Iran.

Referring to resumption of trade agreements between the two countries in the post-JCPOA era, Lord Lamont said the British companies were looking forward to entering Iranian market.
Earlier, the head of the German Iranian Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry told IRNA in London that German companies were interested in resuming trade ties with Iran with many of them beginning their work.

Iranian Ambassador to the UK Hamid Baeidinejad said in recent months goods moves have been taken in line with trade cooperation between Tehran and London and as the first step in post-JCPOA ear Tehran managed to receive three billion euro the Anglo Dutch oil company Shell owed to Iran.

Baeidinejad said a contract worth 600-800 million pounds has been signed by the two sides for construction of the world's fifth largest solar power plant.

He said another 1.8- billion euro memorandum of understanding has been inked with the leading British company 'International Hospitals Group' for setting up a cancer treatment center in Iran, adding that preliminary talks are underway with the same company for building hospitals in the country.

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