BRUSSELS, September 15. /TASS/. The EU foreign policy chief will consult with all members of the Iranian nuclear deal after top diplomats from the United Kingdom, Germany and France had notified the European Union they were not planning to lift Iranian sanctions on September 18.

"Today I have received a letter by the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom related to the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)," EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said in a statement. "The Foreign Ministers state that Iran is in non-compliance since 2019 and consider that this has not been resolved through the JCPOA’s Dispute Resolution Mechanism. They express their intention not to take the steps regarding the lifting of further sanctions on JCPOA Transition Day on 18 October 2023."

According to Borrell, he will send this letter to all JCPOA participants and hold consultations with them.

"As requested, I have circulated the letter to the other JCPOA participants, namely, China, Iran and the Russian Federation. As Coordinator, I will consult with all JCPOA participants on the way forward," the European Union’s foreign policy chief continued.

The EU diplomat underscored that he remained fully committed to the nuclear deal and would spare no effort working towards the restoration of the JCPOA and the resumption of the full implementation of the deal.

The JCPOA was signed with Iran in 2015 to address the crisis over its nuclear development program by the permanent quintet of the UN Security Council and Germany. The document provided for the gradual lifting of sanctions in exchange for Tehran's commitments to restrict nuclear activities. The previous US president, Donald Trump, decided to withdraw from this agreement in 2018. The current US leader Joe Biden has repeatedly signaled his willingness to bring Washington back into the nuclear deal.

Russia, Britain, China, France, the US and Germany have been negotiating with Iran in Vienna since April 2021 in a bid to restore the JCPOA to its original form.

In accordance with the initial version of the agreement, certain UN sanctions are to be lifted on October 18, 2023, including those allowing Iran to import and export ballistic missiles.