The European Union should make practical efforts to counter the US sanctions against Iran, senior adviser to the Iranian parliament speaker for international affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian said at a meeting with Tarja Cronberg, a member of the Executive Board of the European Leadership Network.
“Europe’s political and media stances on countering the US unilateral measures are admirable, but Europe’s slowness in taking practical measures is unacceptable,” the Iranian official deplored.
Time is running out for Europe in such a significant matter, Amir Abdollahian added, stressing that the EU must take practical steps to fulfill its promise to carry out the SPV within a few weeks.
For her part, Cronberg said Europe is looking for ways to save the JCPOA, which she described as a perfect model for political settlement of conflicts.
EU countries led by France, Germany and Britain -signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal- want to enable non-US trade with Iran to continue in defiance of Washington.
The EU has devised the SPV, a financial mechanism, to continue trade with Iran and neutralize the US sanctions against Tehran.
On May 8, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the JCPOA, which was achieved in Vienna in 2015 after years of negotiations among Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).