2015 deal Archives - Iran News Daily

Schmid Lauds Unity of JCPOA Parties to Save Iran Deal

reporter 1222 — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 04:02:56 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Secretary-General of the European External Action Service Helga Schmid in a Twitter message referred to Iran nuclear deal Joint Commission meeting which was held in Vienna on Tuesday lauding the unity among JCPOA parties to preserve the deal.

“Just finished chairing #JCPOA Joint Commission,” Schmid wrote on her Twitter account.

“Important to see that participants are united in resolve to preserve the #IranDeal and find a way to ensure full implementation of the agreement despite current challenges,” she added.

The JCPOA Joint Commission meeting was held on Tuesday at 11:00 local time in Vienna at the level of deputy foreign ministers and directors general of foreign ministries of the participant states, IRNA reported.

Iran was represented to the meeting by Seyyed Abbas Araqchi who arrived in Vienna on Monday.

He has so far held separate bilateral meetings with other participants of the meeting and is scheduled to exchange views with Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi.

Araqchi has earlier said that the meeting of JCPOA Joint Commission was significant regarding to the US attempts to restore UN previous sanctions to annihilate the JCPOA.

Referring to the fact that the UNSC members have opposed the US draft resolution to invoke snapback clause of the JCPOA, Araqchi said the US attempts will definitely be an important discussion in the meeting.

The US has illegally called for the reinstatement of UN Security Council sanctions against Iran. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Thursday that Washington will return all UN sanctions against Iran “at midnight Sep. 1,” a claim which was strongly condemned by other signatories of the nuclear deal including the EU, Russia and China and was mocked by Iranian senior officials.

Zarif reacted to US claims on returning unilateral sanctions against Iran by saying in a tweeted message, “Obviously they don’t understand law or UN. Maybe they can grasp this: You divorced the JCPOA in 2018. Your name on the marriage certificate is irrelevant.”

Washington withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and reinstated its unilateral economic sanctions against Iran in defiance of Resolution 2231.

Now after more than two years, the Trump administration is seeking to trigger the snapback of sanctions at the UN by claiming that it remains a member of the JCPOA.

The United States’ most prominent Western allies have refused to fall into step with the push, which followed Washington’s humiliating defeat in securing an extension of the UN arms embargo against Iran at the UNSC.

Only the Dominican Republic voted ‘yes’ to Washington’s resolution calling for the extension of the embargo beyond October 18.

The president of the Security Council on August 25 dismissed attempts by the US to reinstate all UN sanctions against Iran due to a lack of consensus in the 15-member body.

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Trump Deal is rejected; Iran envy says

reporter 1222 — Thu, 16 Jan 2020 08:03:20 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian Ambassador to UK Hamid Baeidinejad rejected British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s call for ‘Trump Deal’ to replace nuclear deal entitled Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

As long as JCPOA is alive, there is no need for a new agreement, he emphasized.

He made the remarks on Thu. in an exclusive interview with a British TV channel and reiterated, “as long as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action exists, there is no need for clinching a new agreement.”

JCPOA is still alive and three European countries involved in Iran’s nuclear talks including the UK, France, and Germany emphasize to settle disputes and differences through diplomacy, Baeidinejad added.

Iran’s ambassador to the UK pointed to JCPOA Joint Commission and said, “the relevant issues can be discussed within the framework of these sessions on how European sides can fulfill their obligations.”

Iran’s steps of reducing its commitments within the framework of JCPOA have not been taken to ditch the deal, rather, Iran has opened the way of diplomacy and it is hoped that European countries involved in the deal will comprehend the very sensitive situation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, he said, adding, “Iran urges EU3 to honor their commitments under JCPOA.”

In response to a question on ‘Trump Deal’ as an alternative to JCPOA, he said, “Iran rejects the issue while this is an idea and its dimensions are not clear to us.”

JCPOA is a multilateral and international deal which was inked between Iran and six world’s major powers and there is no need to think about its replacement with a new deal, Iran’s UK envoy Baeidinejad stressed.

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Iran, Estonia talk on JCPOA

reporter 1222 — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 13:38:40 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Foreign Minister of Iran, Mohammad Javad Zarif and his counterpart from Estonia, Urmas Reinsalu, discussed the recent developments surrounding the 2015 nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA.

During the meeting, held in the Indian capital New Delhi on Wednesday, besides JCPOA, Iran and Estonia also conferred on issues of mutual interest and the ways to boost bilateral ties between the two countries.

Earlier on Wednesday, Zarif held separate talks with Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdollah Moheb and Minister of State at the German Federal Foreign Office Niels Annen.

The diplomats are taking part in the 2020 Raisina Dialogue which is underway in New Delhi.

The three-day event kicked off on Tuesday in New Delhi, with over 180 delegates from 105 countries in attendance. The 2020 edition’s theme has been defined as ‘21@20: Navigating the Alpha Century’.

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Pulling out of JCPOA, wrong deed of Trump; Rouhani says

reporter 1222 — Wed, 04 Dec 2019 10:47:28 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his American counterpart has been duped into pulling the US out of the JCPOA.

The greatest trick ever played on US President Donald Trump was when the Zionist regime of Israel and Saudi Arabia deceived him into pulling the US out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known as JCPOA, Rouhani said in a national conference on insurance and development, held in Tehran on Wednesday.

Highlighting Iran’s commitment to the JCPOA after the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Rouhani said the Israeli regime, the Saudi kingdom, and American hardliners duped Trump into leaving the agreement, making him believe that withdrawal from the JCPOA and imposition of tough sanctions on Iran would overthrow the Islamic Republic.

The Iranian president underlined that Tehran is still honoring the JCPOA and that a reduction of commitments to the JCPOA falls within the framework of the agreement.

In May 2018, Trump pulled his country out of the JCPOA. Iran and the remaining parties launched talks to save the JCPOA afterward, but the three EU parties to the deal (France, Britain, and Germany) failed to ensure Iran’s economic interests.

The EU’s inaction forced Tehran to stop honoring certain commitments to the nuclear deal, including a rise in the stockpile of enriched uranium.

Iran maintains that the new measures are not designed to harm the JCPOA but to save the accord by creating a balance in the commitments.

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Activating JCPOA mechanism against Iran

reporter 1222 — Thu, 28 Nov 2019 08:31:18 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – In yet another hostile move, France warned Iran on Wednesday about the possibility of activating a JCPOA mechanism that could pave the way for re-imposing UN sanctions on Tehran.

France’s foreign minister warned on Wednesday that the question as to whether activating a dispute JCPOA mechanism enshrined in the Iran nuclear deal that could lead to UN sanctions was seriously under consideration is given Tehran’s measures to reduce commitments to the JCPOA.

According to Reuters, Jean-Yves Le Drian made the comments at a parliamentary hearing, during which he made some meddlesome remarks on the recent foreign-orchestrated riots in some Iranian cities following government’s decision to substantially increase the price of gasoline.

His comments about the snapback mechanism come as a surprise as the European countries, including France, have not taken any substantial step towards implementing their share of JCPOA obligations so far and have succumbed to the US pressures instead.

On the US anniversary of the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, Tehran announced it would take steps back from its JCPOA obligations every 60-day unless the other signatories to the deal abide by their commitments under the accord.

As the latest step (the fourth step) to scale back JCPOA commitments, Iran injected gas into IR6 centrifuges and resumed uranium enrichment at Fordow nuclear facility in early November.

Iran has said that it will reverse its nuclear steps as soon as the other signatories return to their commitments.

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Commit to JCPOA; China Urges West

reporter 1222 — Wed, 27 Nov 2019 12:17:02 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Geng Shuang said respecting the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action by the West is the only viable way to bring Tehran and the western signatories together and commit to JCPOA.

“China maintains close communication with signatory parties and commit to JCPOA, on the need to uphold and implement the deal,” Shuang said on Tuesday, addressing his regular weekly press conference.

“China believes that full and effective implementation of the JCPOA is the only viable way to ease tensions over the Iranian nuclear issue,” he added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Chinese diplomat said that the Joint Commission of JCPOA that may convene on December 6 must help regulate the international Agreement.

“We will attend the upcoming Arbitral Joint Commission of the JCPOA,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

“We hope that this arbitral meeting will help all parties reach consensus on upholding the JCPOA, work out practical issues through consultation, and explore effective means of implementation, in particular with regards to restoring the balance of rights and obligations of all parties,” Shuang added.

In relevant remarks last week, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi announced that the JCPOA’s Joint Commission may be held on December 6 at the deputy ministerial level to discuss latest developments on the international accord.

Under the JCPOA, enrichment at Fordow nuclear site was supposed to be stopped for 14 years.

“Inaction by European parties has made us move towards Fordow only after 3 years,” said Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi.

Germany, France, and the UK have not been able to take necessary actions to keep Iran satisfied after the US pulled out of the nuclear deal.

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Root of crisis over JCPOA, US wrong behavior; China says

reporter 1222 — Thu, 14 Nov 2019 06:05:54 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – China denounced the US withdrawal from Iran’s nuclear deal and its maximum pressure policy against Tehran as a “wrong behavior” that constitutes the root of crisis over JCPOA.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang made the remark in a press conference in the capital, Beijing, Press TV reported on Wednesday.

“It is China’s consistent belief that the US unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA and maximum pressure campaign against Iran is the root cause of the current crisis. The US should quit such wrong behavior to make room for diplomatic efforts and create conditions for de-escalation,” Geng said, referring to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which was signed between Iran and six world states — namely the US, Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China.

The administration in Washington unilaterally walked out of the JCPOA in May last year and reinstated all the anti-Iran sanctions that it had lifted as part of the landmark accord.

“In the meantime, parties including the European side and Iran should exercise restraint, remain committed to full and effective implementation of the agreement, and resolve differences within the JCPOA,” Geng added.

Pointing to a recent report by the Iranian Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Chinese official said his country “supports the IAEA in fulfilling its duty in an objective and impartial manner and will continue to work with other parties for the political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue.”

Iran is gradually removing limits on its uranium enrichment activities in response to the US abrogation of the nuclear agreement and reimposition of “toughest” sanctions on Iran.

The IAEA confirmed in its report on Monday that Iran has begun enriching uranium at Fordo nuclear site and that its enriched uranium stockpile has continued to grow.

Tehran remained fully compliant with the JCPOA for an entire year as confirmed by the IAEA in several reports, waiting for the co-signatories to fulfill their obligations by offsetting the impacts of Washington’s bans on the Iranian economy.

As the European parties failed to do so, Tehran moved in May 2019 to suspend its JCPOA commitments in 60-day stages under articles 26 and 36 of the deal covering Tehran’s legal rights.

Last week, Iran began injecting gas into centrifuges at the Fordo plant as part of its fourth step away from the JCPOA under the supervision of the IAEA.

The E3/EU claimed that Iran’s action is “inconsistent” with the deal’s provisions on Fordo and “has potentially severe proliferation implications. It represents a regrettable acceleration of Iran’s disengagement from commitments under the JCPOA.”

Tehran has repeatedly said its measures are “reversible” if the European sides shield Iran from the impacts of the US sanctions.

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Negativity towards Iran nuclear deal, Russia slams EU attitude

reporter 1222 — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 07:00:54 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The Russian permanent envoy to the Vienna-based international organizations has lashed out at hue and cry created over the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (commonly called the nuclear deal) by some Western media outlets, showing their negativity towards Iran nuclear deal.

“We are witnessing non-continuous efforts to damage the JCPOA from any possible way,” Mikhail Ulyanov wrote in his tweeter account on Tuesday.

He further said, “The latest sample of such efforts is a distortion of a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).”

The IAEA announced in its fresh report that it will continue verification activities in Iran’s nuclear facilities.

On Monday, Kazem Qaribabadi, the Iranian ambassador and permanent representative to the Vienna-based international organizations, said the new report of the IAEA on his country’s nuclear activities proved that Tehran had been abiding by the IAEA’s rules and offering full access to IAEA inspectors despite scaling down its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal.

Iran is further reducing its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal as it tries to pressure European countries to find ways to cushion the crippling impact of US sanctions. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani this week warned that Tehran would begin research on developing centrifuges to speed up uranium enrichment — its third step to increase its nuclear activity since May.

Mohammad Javad Zarif, the foreign minister, informed Federica Mogherini, the top EU foreign policy official, about the decision in a letter on Thursday. The move comes as France spearheads a diplomatic push to save the accord and reduce tensions between the Islamic republic and the west with a proposal to provide a $15bn credit line to Iran.

The UK said Iran’s decision was “deeply concerning.”

“This third step away from its commitments under the nuclear deal is particularly disappointing at a time when we and our European and international partners are working hard to de-escalate tensions with Iran,” the British Foreign Office said.

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Oman as a neutral in regional tensions urges dialogue with Iran

reporter 1222 — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 07:00:26 +0000

Oman’s oil minister called on Monday for dialogue with Iran, saying his country had been campaigning for talks and would remain neutral toward regional tensions.

“Oman has always maintained that, yes, we are always neutral as neutrality suits us and suits the way we manage the differences,” Mohammed bin Hamad al-Rumhy told an oil conference in the United Arab Emirates, Iran News quotes what Reuters reported.

Tensions in the Persian Gulf have risen since attacks on oil tankers in vital global shipping lanes this summer, including one off the UAE coast, as well as a major assault on energy facilities in Saudi Arabia.

Washington blamed Iran which has denied the unsubstantiated claim as fabrication.

Tensions between Iran and the US have also been running high since Washington’s decision in May last year to abandon the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions on Tehran as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign aimed at forcing it to renegotiate a new deal that addresses its ballistic missile program and regional influence as well.

However, Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has banned Iranian officials from holding such talks unless the United States returns to the nuclear deal and lifts all sanctions.

On Thursday, Iran said it had resumed uranium enrichment at its Fordo nuclear site, stepping further away from its deal with world powers after the United States pulled out of it in 2018.

The UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash also urged that Iran come to the negotiating table with world powers and Persian Gulf Arab nations to deescalate tensions and revive the Iranian economy.

“Further escalation at this point serves no one and we strongly believe that there is room for collective diplomacy to succeed,” Gargash said in a speech in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

He warned against a “false choice” between war and the “flawed” atomic deal.

Gargash said new talks with Iran should not just deal with its nuclear work, but also address its ballistic missile program and regional activities, the same issues that the US has been seeking to include in a new deal with Iran.

However, Iranian officials have repeatedly said that the country’s ballistic missile program and its role in the region were not up for negotiation and dialogue with Iran is not possible on these terms.

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Iran stays in JCPOA, reap benefits when UN arms embargo ends

reporter 1222 — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 06:02:43 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that Iran stays in JCPOA despite US violations, arguing that the accord will be put to good use next year when a long-running arms embargo against Tehran comes to an end.

Rouhani said Iran could respond to America’s exit from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in different ways including leaving the deal altogether or keeping it at any price, but it has decided to take the middle ground.

“By continuing the JCPOA, we will fulfill a major objective in terms of politics, security, and defense,” he told a large crowd of people during a visit to the eastern province of Kerman.

Noting that for years Iran has been banned by the United Nations from buying and selling any kinds of weapons, Rouhani said the arms embargo will end next year according to the deal and the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorses it.

“This is one of the important effects of this deal. Otherwise, we could leave the deal today but the kind of benefit we stand to reap next year, will no longer exist,” he said.

“We can leave now, but then the UNSC resolutions [that were revoked under the deal] will return,” said the president, adding, “We need to think where the country’s interests lie.”

Iran, he said, did not want to remain fully committed to the deal while the others “sit on their hands” and do nothing.

“Therefore we took the middle ground to keep the JCPOA and preserve it while cutting back on what we had agreed to do under the agreement step by step,” he said.

Since May, Iran has been scaling back its nuclear commitments in retaliation for Washington’s May 2018 pullout from the deal and the failure of three European signatories – the UK, France, and Germany – to protect bilateral trade against American sanctions.

In the first three stages of its measured response, Iran enriched uranium beyond the 300kg limit set by the deal and ramped up enrichment to levels upon the pre-defined 3.67-percent cap. It also expanded nuclear research to areas banned in the agreement.

The fourth step, initiated last week, involved the injection of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas into centrifuges at the Fordo underground enrichment facility.

Tehran says its reciprocal measures do not violate the JCPOA and are based on Articles 26 and 36 of the agreement itself, which detail mechanisms to deal with non-compliance.

Iranian authorities have suggested that the measures will be reversible as soon as Europe finds practical ways to shield the Iranian economy from the sanctions.

Rouhani noted Monday Iran’s nuclear capability is “better than ever,” saying that Iranian nuclear experts have never stopped research and development work since the JCPOA was first signed in 2015.

“We will stand up to our enemies with full power. We haven’t done anything illegal and we are not willing to bow to your orders,” he said.

Touching on disparaging statements by Western countries, Rouhani said, “Are you mad that we restarted Fordo? Are you mad with the resumption of nuclear enrichment? Are you mad at us for speeding up the Arak heavy water [facility]? Then you should fulfill your commitments as well.”

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