As reported in our blog post of Tuesday 7 January (see here), the EU Foreign Affairs Council met on Friday 10 January 2020 to discuss recent developments involving Iran and the situation in Iraq. The EU Foreign Ministers assessed the consequences of recent events and emphasised their support for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (“JCPOA“), stating that it was βa key element of the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture.β However, Ministers called for Iran to immediately restart full compliance with the JCPOA.
The Council gave a mandate to the EU’s High Representative to continue with all diplomatic efforts to assist with de-escalation in the region and support political discussion, and also stressed its continued support for Iraq’s stability and reconstruction.
BM will also be holding a webinar entitled βThe End of the JCPOA?β on Thursday 16 January at 4pm (BST); the webinar will address the effects of the possible reintroduction of UN and EU sanctions on Iran given recent developments; the new US sanctions targeting Iran will also be covered. Further details on the webinar will follow tomorrow.