China hails "implementation day" of Iranian nuke deal

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday said the "implementation day" of the Iranian nuclear deal is "worth celebrating" for the Iranian people and has a "demonstrative effect" while the international nuclear non-proliferation regime is facing test.

Wang said in an written interview with Xinhua News Agency that the "implementation day" was a solid step on the way to the final political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue.

Wang's remarks came after the European Union (EU) and Iran on Saturday jointly made an announcement of the "implementation day" of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the historic nuclear deal reached last July.

Also on Saturday, U.S. President Barack Obama signed an executive order to lift sanctions on Iran related to its nuclear program.

Verified by the UN nuclear agency, Iran has done all the steps to address world concerns in scaling back its nuclear plan, including freezing much of its nuclear material production, which could be used to build nuclear bombs.

The achievement was "hard-earned," Wang said, noting that China appreciates the work has done by Iran and the P5+1, namely Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany.

All sides have shown firm commitment to the JCPOA, according to Wang.

The minister urged all parties to continue to earnestly implement the deal in the coming decade to "create history again."

According to the JCPOA, all of the nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran will be removed if the country is proved to abide by the deal over the next ten years step-by-step. Endi