World leaders continue to criticize unilateral US pressures on Iran

Tabnak – As a new round of US sanctions is set to be implemented against Iran on November 4, various countries around the world continue to condemn Washington’s unilateral moves against Tehran.

In this vein, participants in the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) have reaffirmed their "collective support" for a multilateral nuclear agreement Iran signed with major world powers in 2015, saying the lifting of sanctions against Tehran is an essential part of the deal.

In a joint statement issued at the end of their two-day meeting in Brussels on Friday, the European and Asian leaders reiterated their collective support for diplomatic dialogue and the nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which has been endorsed by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231.

They emphasized that the JCPOA is working and delivering on its goal, namely to ensure the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program.

"Leaders recognized that, alongside full and effective implementation by Iran of its nuclear related commitments, the lifting of sanctions including the consequences arising from it constitutes an essential part of the JCPOA," the statement read.

It added that preserving the nuclear accord "is a matter of respecting international agreements, and promoting international security, peace and stability."

Speaking upon her arrival to the Asia-Europe Meeting in Brussels, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Thursday that the 28-nation bloc is "working on the concrete establishment of" its plan to set up financial channels to preserve business with Iran and circumvent new US sanctions in place after the United States pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal in May.

"This is something that we have presented during the [United Nations] General Assembly ministerial week in New York. The Member States of the European Union have decided to put this system in place, so they are now working on the concrete establishment of this. I am confident that they will continue this work in a successful manner in the coming weeks," Mogherini said.

In the same vein, US sanctions on Iran were condemned as “vindictive” for targeting ordinary people at an Iran-Britain business event on Thursday. The conference was organized by the British-Iranian Chamber of Commerce (BICC) which seeks to develop mutual co-operation and beneficial relations between Iran and the UK.

Iranian Ambassador Hamid Baeidinejad was one of three key speakers at the event which took place at the Iranian embassy. During his opening speech, he explained that European-Iranian relations have taken on a special political and strategic importance.

The second speaker was Lord Lamont of Lerwick, Chairman of the British-Iranian Chamber of Commerce and former Chancellor of the Exchequer. He emphasized how the international community was keen to defend the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA.

Jack Straw, the former British Foreign Minister also spoke last the event, describing the current US sanctions on Iran as "vindictive" in nature. "If you are a poor person in the Iranian countryside, sanctions make sure supplies, such as medical supplies, are not available.”

Straw made it clear that "there is a determination by the International community to make sure that these (anti-Iran) sanctions don’t work.”

On November 4 the US will implement further economic sanctions on Iran. These sanctions have been criticized for the effect they may have on civilians. Prominent members of the Trump administration, including National Security Advisor John Bolton, have made no secret of their desire for “regime change" in Iran.