TEHRAN, June 10 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday urged the European signatories to the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal to implement their nuclear obligations in supporting Iran's economic interests.
"Implementing the nuclear deal, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is all I expect the Europeans to do," Zarif said at a joint press conference with visiting German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in the capital Tehran.
Referring to Maas' EU pledges to support Iran in benefiting from the nuclear deal, Zarif expressed hopes for the efforts by Germany and other remaining partners "in preserving the nuclear deal would bear results."
On Monday, Maas said Britain, France and Germany are working to help Iran benefit economically from the JCPOA.
The position of three European states is to remain obliged to their JCPOA commitments and to support the atomic accord, said Maas.
"We want Iran-Europe trade to expand and Iran's economic growth to increase through INSTEX, and it is Iran's right to enjoy the financial benefits of the nuclear deal," he noted.
In January, the EU announced the establishment of a payment channel, known as the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), to secure trade with Iran and skirt U.S. anti-Iran sanctions after Washington pulled out of the 2015 landmark nuke deal in May 2018.
The EU was doing its utmost to help Iran gain benefits from the deal, said Maas who arrived in Tehran on Monday after his regional tour over the past days.
Earlier in the day, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman criticized the European signatories of the nuclear deal for having not done any special practical measure to satisfy Iran's demands pertaining to the JCPOA.
He expressed hope that the European states would take "more tangible and bigger practical measures" to meet Iran's expectations.
