Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the status is of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action following the decision by the E3 to trigger the Dispute Resolution Mechanism on 14 January 2020; and if he will make a statement.

The UK remains committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), as the best means of preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. We have worked hard with our partners to preserve the deal and believe that it remains in our national security interests. We, along with France and Germany, have met our obligations under the deal, including by lifting sanctions on Iran, and have gone beyond our JCPoA commitments by establishing INSTEX to help support legitimate trade. Iran's reductions in nuclear compliance, as confirmed by successive International Atomic Engergy Angency reports, have raised serious proliferation concerns, leaving the E3 with no choice but to trigger the JCPoA Dispute Resolution Mechanism (DRM) on 14 January 2020, formally referring Iran to the Joint Commission. We are clear that we want to use the DRM to resolve these concerns, and bring Iran back into compliance with the JCPoA. The UK continues to work closely with all JCPoA parties, including Iran, to find a diplomatic way forward.