VIENNA, Sept. 2 (CGTN) - The signatories to the Iran nuclear deal said on Tuesday that they stood by the faltering accord and China slammed U.S. efforts to restore international sanctions on Iran and extend an arms embargo.
All participants, including delegates from China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran, reaffirmed the importance of preserving the agreement, recognizing that "it is a key element of the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture, as endorsed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231," according to a statement published on the website of the EEAS later Tuesday.
Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Helga Schmid, who chaired a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission, wrote on Twitter that participants of the meeting were "united in resolve to preserve the Iran Deal and find a way to ensure full implementation of the agreement despite current challenges."
The delegates reaffirmed that the United States unilaterally announced its withdrawal from the JCPOA on May 8, 2018 and that it had not participated in any JCPOA-related activities subsequently, it said.
"U.S., being a country that has withdrawn from the JCPOA, does not have the legal ground or legal standing to trigger a snapback," Fu Cong, director general of the Department of Arms Control of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told reporters after the meeting.
"This position has been echoed by the majority of the international community, as has been shown in the voting of the Security Council, and that momentum needs to be maintained," he said.
Fu called on the international community to continue to stand on the right side of history, safeguarding multilateralism and upholding the authority of the JCPOA and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231.
China hopes that all parties should resolve differences in terms of agreement implementation through dialogue and consultation within the framework of the JCPOA Joint Commission, and restore the balance of rights and obligations under the deal, he said.
China welcomes the consensus reached between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on allowing IAEA inspectors access to two locations, and urged all relevant parties to help implement the agreement, Fu said.
The United Nations last week blocked the U.S. bid to reimpose international sanctions on Iran, while Washington also failed to rally enough support to extend an arms embargo that was scheduled to start being rolled back from October.
In a boost to Tuesday's talks, the Iranian atomic energy agency last week also agreed to allow inspectors of the UN nuclear watchdog to visit two sites suspected of having hosted undeclared activity in the early 2000s.
International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi had travelled to Iran on his first trip since taking up the top post last year and after months of calling for access.
The IAEA, which regular updates its members on Iran's nuclear activities, is expected to issue a fresh report ahead of a meeting of member states to discuss the dossier later this month.
