EU responsible in upholding JCPOA for int'l community: Official

Vienna, March 2, IRNA – A senior official with European Union said on Friday that the bloc is responsible before the international community to maintain the 2015 nuclear deal and will continue consultations with Russia and the US in this respect. Thomas Mayr-Harting, director for Europe and Central Asia in European External Action Service, highlighted EU's role in conclusion of the deal with Iran, saying that it is responsible for preserving the deal. Formally known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal granted Iran relief from international sanctions in return for constraints on its peaceful nuclear program. During the question and answer section of the panel themed 'EU as global player' in the International DASI Conference at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, the EU official replied to a query by the Islamic Republic News Agency's (IRNA) reporter on EU's measures to ensure Iran's interests within JCPOA and preserving it, and said that EU has close talks with Russia because of the joint interests in maintaining JCPOA. EU is in close contact with the US Congress regarding the issue of such significance and will continue to defend the nuclear deal with Iran, he said. The 14th International DASI Conference at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna (DASICON2018) opened on Friday and will run through Saturday. 1378/IRNA