EU advisor hails China defying US sanctions on Iran

Tehran, Aug 6, IRNA – A special advisor to the European Union foreign policy chief welcomed China's decision to defy US sanctions on Iran's oil as an important step towards protecting the nuclear deal. 'A key step for the survival of the #JCPOA,' Nathalie Tocci has recently written on her Twitter page in reference to China's not accepting Washington's sanctions on Iran's oil. The sanctions were imposed on Iran following the US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). JCPOA was signed by the US and other permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany on one side and Iran on the other to curb Tehran nuclear program in exchange for economic sanctions relief. 'The US has been unable to persuade China to cut Iranian oil imports, according to two officials familiar with the negotiations, dealing a blow to President Donald Trump’s efforts to isolate the Islamic Republic after his withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear accord,' the American news network Bloomberg reported. The other European signatories to the deal have expressed their commitment to the JCPOA opposing the re-imposing of unilateral sanctions on Iran. India as a major customer of Iran's crude has announced it would continue importing oil from the Middle Eastern country.