Sputnik - New sanctions imposed by the United States against Iran might have no direct influence on the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but it may still vitiate the atmosphere around it, according to Alexey Karpov, Russia's deputy permanent envoy to international organizations in Vienna.

VIENNA (Sputnik) — The eighth session of JCPOA joint commission began in Vienna earlier in the day. China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany (P5+1 group), as well as Iran and the European Union were represented during the event.
"This time the discussion was serious enough, as Iranians are obviously dissatisfied with ongoing events. Even though the United States is prolonging a 'sanction relieved' regime that is provided for in the JCPOA, and imposing a new package of sanctions under another pretext unrelated to the JCPOA, the atmosphere is still getting poisoned," Karpov said Friday following the end of a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission.


According to Karpov, all participants advocated for the continued implementation of the JCPOA, and strict observance of all the commitments made. Russia, however, has categorically rejected all the unilateral sanctions, as they undermine the spirit of the joint plan.

Karpov noted that the issue of sanctions and its lifting is discussed at every meeting, but in the context of the new US sanctions against Iran it gained a new, more significant role.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, was signed in July 2015 by P5+1 group of countries. The agreement stipulates the lifting of UN, EU and US nuclear-related sanctions on Iran in exchange for the suspension of Tehran's nuclear weapons program. The plan came into force on January 16, 2016.

On July 18, the United States imposed sanctions on 18 entities and individuals over their alleged ties to Iran's military and ballistic missile program.