BRUSSELS, October 18. /TASS/. The European Union has adopted a legislative framework to abandon anti-Iranian sanctions, according to a joint statement by High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif circulated in Brussels on Sunday.
"Today is Adoption Day of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] related to the Iranian nuclear programme," the statement said. "This is another important milestone that brings us a step closer to the beginning of implementation of the JCPOA, to which we are strongly committed."
"The EU today adopted the legislative framework for lifting all of its nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions," the statement said. "It will take effect on Implementation Day, simultaneously with the IAEA-verified implementation of agreed nuclear measures by Iran."
"Iran will now start the implementation of its nuclear-related commitments with the objective of full and effective completion. The International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] will make the necessary preparations for the monitoring and verification of these steps," the statement said.
"All sides remain strongly committed to ensuring that implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action can start as soon as possible. To this end, we will make all the necessary preparations," Mogherini and Zarif said in the statement.
Iran and the P5+1 group of international mediators [the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany] signed a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] on Iran’s nuclear rpogramme on July 14, 2015 in Vienna. Under the JCPOA, Iran undertakes to reduce the number of IR-1 first-generation centrifuges at the facility in Natanz from 19,000 to 6,100, of which only 5,060 will be used to enrich uranium in a period of ten years. Apart from that, Iran undertook not to manufacture weapons-grade plutonium, to have not more than 300 kilograms of 3.67% enriched uranium in a period of 15 years, to reshape nuclear facilities and use them exclusively in peaceful purposes. Enrichment activities will be allowed only at the facility in Natanz. The Fordow facility is to be reshaped to manufacture stable isotopes for industrial and medical uses. The heavy water reactor in Arak is to be overhauled to exclude weapons-grade plutonium production.
In exchange, sanctions will be gradually removed from Iran. The arms embargo imposed by UN Security Council will be kept in place for five years, ban for supplying ballistic missile technologies to Iran - for eight years. Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] will monitor nuclear facilities in Iran for the next 25 years. If any points of the agreement are violated by Iran, sanctions against the country will be renewed.
On July 20, the corresponding resolution on Iran’s nuclear program agreement was adopted by the United Nations Security Council.