I decided to convene today in Brussels a meeting of the European Union and the Foreign Ministers of France [Jean-Yves Le Drian], Germany [Sigmar Gabriel] and the United Kingdom [Boris Johnson] with the Foreign Minister of Iran [Mohammad Javad Zarif], in agreement with him - here in Brussels.

The focus of today's meeting was on the ongoing work to ensure the full and continued implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA], the nuclear deal with Iran, by all parties.

The European Union has had and expressed a very clear position on the nuclear deal, as it was stated by the 28 European Union Member States' Ministers, already in October last year, and repeated again today.

The deal is working; it is delivering on its main goal, which means keeping the Iranian nuclear programme in check and under close surveillance.

The IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] has confirmed in nine reports that Iran is fully complying with the commitments made under the agreement. Its continued successful implementation ensures that Iran's nuclear programme remains exclusively peaceful. And by the way, this is regularly discussed in the framework of the Joint Commission [of the JCPOA] which I am coordinating.

The nuclear agreement is a multilateral agreement endorsed by the UN Security Council with a Resolution. It is a key element of the nuclear non-proliferation global architecture and it is crucial for the security of the region, but also for the security of Europe. It is in our key strategic security interest as Europeans. At a time of acute nuclear threat, the European Union is determined to preserve the JCPOA as a key element of the international non-proliferation architecture.

The European Union remains committed to support the full and effective implementation of the agreement, including to make sure that the lifting of nuclear related sanctions has a positive impact on trade and economic relations with Iran, including benefits for the Iranian people.

The agreement has allowed for deeper cooperation and continuous dialogue with Iran on all issues. While we have expressed concerns related to other issues, such as development of ballistic missiles and increasing tensions in the region, these issues are outside the scope of the nuclear agreement and are and will be addressed in the relevant formats and fora. We also briefly obviously discussed internal recent events in Iran.

Let me conclude by saying that the unity of the international community is essential to preserve a deal that is working, that is making the world safer and that is preventing a potential nuclear arms race in the region. And we expect all parties to continue to fully implement this agreement.

Link to the video: https://ec.europa.eu/avservices/video/player.cfm?ref=I149346