BRUSSELS, January 24. /TASS/. The remaining parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear program will hold a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission in February, EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said in a statement on Friday.

"All JCPOA participants reconfirmed their determination to preserve the agreement which is in the interest of all," the statement reads.

"Notwithstanding differences on modalities, there is agreement that more time is needed due to the complexity of the issues involved. The timeline is therefore extended. All agreed to pursue expert-level discussions addressing the concerns regarding nuclear implementation, as well as the wider impacts of the withdrawal of the United States from the JCPOA and its re-imposition of sanctions, concerning which all JCPOA participants have expressed regret. The Joint Commission will review progress regularly. The next meeting will take place in February," Borrell added.

The Wall Street Journal wrote earlier that "under the accord, senior officials are supposed to have 15 days for discussions to resolve a dispute before deciding whether to kick it up to foreign ministers, though that period can be extended." "European diplomats say a meeting of officials — as opposed to ministers — from Europe, Iran, Russia and China is likely in mid-to-late February, weeks beyond the 15-day mark," the newspaper added.

The future of the nuclear deal came into question in May 2018, following Washington’s move to withdraw from the JCPOA and re-impose sanctions on Tehran.

The JCPOA was signed by Iran and six major powers (five member states of the United Nations Security Council — Russia, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and China — and Germany) in 2015. The future of the deal became unclear after the United States had pulled out of the JCPOA in May 2018, reintroducing sanctions on Tehran. Iran argues that other participants in the deal, the Europeans in the first place, keep ignoring their commitments, rendering the deal pointless. In May 2019, Iran began to gradually reduce its commitments to the JCPOA.