European powers concerned about risk of JCPoA collapse

Paris: France, Germany and the UK on Sunday released a statement outlining their "extreme concern" regarding the risk of collapse of the Iran nuclear deal which, they say, may be triggered by the United States reinstating sanctions on the Middle Eastern nation and Iran's decision to not follow key provisions of the agreement.

"Today, we are concerned about the risk that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) will collapse following sanctions imposed by the United States and as a result of Iran's decision to no longer respect key provisions of the agreement," the three nations stated, according to Xinhua.

They also highlighted their concern regarding the escalating situation in the Gulf region, urging all stakeholders to resume dialogue.

"We believe that the time has come to act responsibly and to look for ways to stop the escalation of tension and resume dialogue," they added.

While the three European powers highlighted their support of the JCPoA, they added that its continuation depends on Iran's full compliance with its obligations as per the deal.

"Our countries have recently taken several diplomatic initiatives to contribute to de-escalation and to resume dialogue...We will continue to explore the opportunities for talks to address the issue of Iran's compliance...," the statement further said.

In order to preserve international peace and security, the three countries pledged to follow "active engagement with all interested parties" for a solution.

The statement comes at a time when relations between London and Tehran are strained after an Iranian oil vessel was seized by British Royal Marines along with Gibraltar officials off the coast of the British Overseas Territory earlier in July.

Iran has demanded an immediate release of its tanker, labelling the incident as "piracy." UK authorities have since claimed that the vessel was bound for Syria and was circumventing sanctions.

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt had told his Iranian counterpart, Javad Zarif, via phone on Saturday that the UK would facilitate the ship's release only if Iran "guarantees" that it will not head to Syria.