"It is the intent of the administration at this moment to fix the JCPOA. Those efforts, those diplomatic efforts are underway quite actively with our key European partners. We hope they produce a successful result," Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield said.
Earlier, the Council of the European Union said that it had extended sanctions against Iran in response to alleged human rights violations until April 2019.
A large part of the international anti-Iranian sanctions, including the withholding of access to frozen assets, ban on buying passenger planes, and sale of oil and coal, was lifted after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified in January 2016 Iran's compliance with the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The EU states have been in talks with the US administration on how to persuade President Donald Trump to extend sanction waivers for Iran past the May 12 deadline after he warned to pull his country out of the JCPOA if it is not fixed.
On July 14, 2015, the European Union, Iran, and the P5+1 group of nations — the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom plus Germany — signed the JCPOA. The agreement stipulates a gradual lifting of sanctions imposed on Iran in exchange for the country maintaining a peaceful nature of its nuclear program.
