Iran nuclear deal Archives - Iran News Daily

Russia, Turkey Want to Salvage Iran Nuclear Deal

reporter 1222 — Sat, 06 Mar 2021 09:06:37 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Russia, Turkey see ‘window of opportunity’ to salvage Iran nuclear deal, urge the US to lift sanctions on Tehran. Russia and Turkey both see a ‘window of opportunity’ to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement and have called on the US to lift crippling sanctions imposed against Tehran.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the Biden administration’s lifting of the sanctions against Iran over its nuclear work, and returning to the 2015 nuclear deal will contribute to regional stability and economic prosperity, news channel Al-Arabiya reported.

“President Erdogan, who stated that he wished the new US administration would abandon unilateral sanctions on Iran and lift restrictions on the prosperity of Iranian people, said the statements on the issue in recent days had led to a new window of opportunity,” an earlier statement from the Turkish presidency said.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday the US should take measures to show the seriousness of its intent to return to the Iranian nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The US unilaterally quit the deal under the Donald Trump administration in May 2018, and the Biden administration said it would return to the deal if Iran started complying with its terms.

But Tehran wants the US to return to the agreement first and lift the sanctions.

“The window of opportunity for rescuing the nuclear deal has not yet been closed. A prerequisite is the full and consistent implementation of the 2015 comprehensive agreements by all countries that developed and concluded them. We are working closely with all JCPOA participants to achieve this goal,” Lavrov was cited by Russian state news agency Interfax as saying.

“However, not everything here depends on us or the European participants in the action plan. The principal point is the position of the Joe Biden administration on the nuclear deal. In our opinion, Washington’s steps would contribute to unblocking the situation around Iran and its nuclear program, which would send a signal to Tehran demonstrating the seriousness of the US intentions to return to the JCPOA,” he added.

The landmark 2015 nuclear agreement was signed by the United States plus other major powers China, Russia, Germany, France, and Britain after long negotiations with Iran. The deal has been on a brink of collapse since Trump’s decision to withdraw from and reimpose sanctions on Tehran.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has estimated that the US sanctions have caused $200 billion in damages to the country.

“If the new US administration wants to make up for the mistakes of the previous administration, we have left the path clear for them,” Al-Arabiya reported, citing Rouhani’s speech on Thursday.

“Some friends said that the US should first compensate the damages it has done to the Iranian nation, which is, of course, more than $200 billion, but we have said that we will leave the claim for damages to the next stage for now, but first, they have to show their goodwill by lifting the sanctions and fulfilling their obligations,” Rouhani said.

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U.S. may weigh baby steps to revive Iran nuclear deal

reporter 1222 — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 09:18:13 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The United States is weighing a wide array of ideas on how to revive the Iran nuclear deal, including an option where both sides would take small steps short of full compliance to buy time, said three sources familiar with the matter.

Such a modest approach could slow the deterioration in relations since former U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned the deal in 2018 and freeze Iran’s subsequent violations, which have brought it closer to enriching weapons-grade uranium.

This option could entail Washington allowing Tehran to get economic benefits less valuable than the sanctions relief it received under the 2015 deal in return for Iran stopping, or perhaps reversing, its own breaches of the agreement.

The sources stressed U.S. President Joe Biden has yet to decide his policy. His stated position remains that Iran resumes full compliance with the pact before the United States will.

“(They) are having a real think,” said one source familiar with the U.S. review, saying ideas under consideration include a straight return to the 2015 nuclear deal and what he called “less for less” as an interim step.

Another source said if the Biden administration concluded it would take too long to negotiate a full return to the deal, it could adopt a more modest approach.

“Should (they) at least try to give Iran some sanctions relief and get Iran to agree to pause and maybe roll back some of its nuclear (steps)?” said this source.

The deal between Iran and six major powers limited Iran’s uranium enrichment activity to make it harder for Tehran to develop nuclear arms – an ambition Iran has long denied having – in return for the easing of the U.S. and other sanctions.

When Trump left the deal in 2018, faulting it for failing to curb Tehran’s ballistic missile program and backing for regional proxies, he reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran’s economy.

In response, Tehran has breached the deal’s key limits, enriching uranium to 20% – above a 3.67% cap but below the 90% needed for weapons – expanding its stockpile of low-enriched uranium and using advanced centrifuges for enrichment.

A central problem in reviving the deal is who goes first. Iran has insisted the United States ease sanctions before it resumes compliance; Washington wants the reverse.

In what may be posturing by both sides, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday said Tehran’s “final and irreversible” decision was to return to compliance only if Washington lifts sanctions, while Biden said he would not lift sanctions just to get Iran back to the table.

Republicans are likely to criticize the Democrat Biden if he offers Iran any sanctions relief without their full return to the agreement, arguing this would squander leverage that Trump built up with the scores of sanctions imposed since 2018.

“The Biden admin has to recognize the realities of 2021, not 2015. That means no upfront sanctions relief for a regime that’s only expanded its dangerous behavior,” Trump’s former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

Washington could find other ways to ease Iran’s economic pain, smoothing the way for the International Monetary Fund to lend to Tehran, making it easier for humanitarian goods to get through, or embracing a European idea for a credit facility.

A Western diplomat said an IMF loan “definitely could be in play” and described the possibility of a European credit facility for Iran, which would require the tacit acceptance of the United States, as “sensible and feasible.”

The White House declined to comment beyond spokeswoman Jen Psaki’s statement that if Tehran resumed compliance, Washington would do so and that “the ball’s in Iran’s court.”

A State Department spokeswoman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Biden administration was still consulting Congress as well as allies and partners.

“We are exploring a range of ideas consistent with our stated policy of being willing to return into compliance with the deal if Iran is,” she said, without elaborating.

It was unclear how soon the Biden administration may settle on its approach.

One deadline is Feb. 21, when an Iranian law obliges Tehran to end the sweeping inspection powers given to the U.N. nuclear watchdog by the 2015 deal and limiting inspections to declared nuclear sites only.

Three European diplomats said even the window for an interim solution could close rapidly before Iran’s June presidential election, which anti-U.S. security hawks are expected to win.

“It’s an urgent situation. If we can’t take advantage of the window now, it’s very hard to think that we will be able to engage in substantial negotiations before the autumn,” said one. “The current (nuclear) trajectory could close a lot of doors.”

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Borrell: US Can’t Initiate UN Sanctions

reporter 1222 — Sun, 20 Sep 2020 10:21:49 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Chief Josep Borrell, who is the coordinator of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, known as the JCPOA, one more time stressed that the US is not a JCPOA participant state and can’t initiate the process of reinstating the UN sanctions.

“As recalled in my statement of 20 August, as well as in the Chair’s statement following the JCPOA Joint Commission on 1 September 2020, the US unilaterally ceased participation in the JCPOA by presidential Memorandum on 8 May 2018 and has subsequently not participated in any JCPOA-related activities. US can’t, therefore, be considered to be a JCPOA participant State and cannot initiate the process of reinstating UN sanctions under the UN Security Council resolution 2231. Consequently, sanctions lifting commitments under the JCPOA continue to apply,” Borrell said in a statement on Sunday.

He added, “As coordinator of the JCPOA Joint Commission I will continue to do everything possible to ensure the preservation and full implementation of the JCPOA by all. The JCPOA remains a key pillar of the global non-proliferation architecture, contributing to regional and global security as it addresses Iran’s nuclear program in a comprehensive manner. I call on all to do their utmost to preserve the agreement and to refrain from any action that could be perceived as an escalation in the current situation”.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last month that he triggered a 30-day process at the council leading to the return of UN sanctions on Iran on Saturday evening that would also stop a conventional arms embargo on Tehran from expiring on Oct. 18.

But 13 of the 15 Security Council members say Washington’s move is void because Pompeo used a mechanism agreed under a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, which the United States quit in 2018.

Washington argues it triggered the return of sanctions – known as “snapback” – because a UN resolution that enshrines the pact still names it as a participant. Diplomats say few countries are likely to reimpose the measures lifted under the 2015 deal.

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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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JCPOA joint commission to Be Held in Vienna

reporter 1222 — Mon, 31 Aug 2020 03:50:22 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The next meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will be held in Vienna, Austria, on September 1.

The meeting will be co-chaired by Secretary-General of the European Union External Action Service Helga Schmid and Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi, Mehr News Agency (MNA) reported on Sunday.

The event will be attended by representatives of France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia.

It will be held at the level of deputy ministers and political directors of the Iranian and 4+1 Group foreign ministers.

Receiving a letter in July from Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif regarding the non-adherence of European countries to 2015 nuclear deal, Schmid had said that the next meeting of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA will be held as soon as the conditions for travel are available due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The forthcoming meeting is important because 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.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reacted to US claims on returning unilateral sanctions against Iran by saying, “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.

Iran and the nuclear agreement’s remaining signatories have repeatedly reminded the US that by leaving the deal, Washington has, by extension, lost all of its rights to seek recourse to UNSC Resolution 2231 that endorses the JCPOA.

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

The United Kingdom, France, and Germany, all signatories to the JCPOA, say the US does not have the legal right to trigger the provision set out in the JCPOA because it pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018.

On August 26, Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced in a six-point joint statement that the two sides agreed to further reinforce their cooperation and enhance mutual trust to facilitate the full implementation of Iran’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA) and the Additional Protocol (AP) thereto, which is provisionally applied by Iran since 16 January 2016.

The joint statement was released during a visit to Tehran by the agency’s chief Rafael Mariano Grossi.

Schmid reacted to the latest joint statement issued by Iran and IAEA stressing that EU continues to work with JCPOA.”

“Good news from Tehran on cooperation between #Iran and @iaeaorg. The EU trusts the impartial and independent role of the agency. In the meantime we continue our work to preserve #JCPOA with Joint Commission next week; I will chair on behalf of High Representative @JosepBorrellF,” Schmid wrote on her Twitter account on last Wednesday.

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Rouhani: IAEA Must Save Iran Deal

reporter 1222 — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 03:56:47 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has an important responsibility concerning the Iran nuclear deal, stressing that Iran will continue its ties with the UN agency.

During a meeting with the visiting Director-General of the IAEA Rafael Mariano Grossi on Wednesday, Rouhani said that in addition to its technical responsibilities, the IAEA has an important responsibility to ensure that the Iran nuclear agreement is maintained.

Tehran attaches great importance to its relations with the IAEA, Rouhani said and stressed that Iran will continue its cooperation with the UN agency.

“Iran, like before, is ready to cooperate with the IAEA,” Rouhani said.

Rouhani pointed to IAEA’s detailed reports about Iran’s implementation of Iran nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), during the cooperation of seven countries involved in nuclear talks and said, “JCPOA was a very important agreement for Iran and P5+1 group, which created peace and security both in the region and world.”

The IAEA chief, for his part, expressed satisfaction with an agreement reached with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran during the ongoing visit to Tehran and emphasized on deepening and expanding cooperation between the two sides.

Grossi described the JCPOA as a great achievement and said the IAEA has an important task to maintain it.

He expressed hope that all technical issues and questions will be resolved through further cooperation between Tehran and the IAEA.

Grossi arrived in Tehran on Monday and held separate meetings with the head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi, and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday.

Joint statement

The meeting between Rouhani and Grossi came hours after the IAEA and Iran in a joint statement said they agreed to further reinforce their cooperation to facilitate the full implementation of Iran’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA).

The statement released by the IAEA’s official website, said that the UN agency and Tehran agreed to further reinforce their cooperation and enhance mutual trust to facilitate the full implementation of Iran’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and the Additional Protocol (AP) thereto, which is provisionally applied by Iran since 16 January 2016.

After intensive bilateral consultations, Iran and the IAEA reached an agreement on the resolution of the safeguards implementation issues specified by the IAEA, in good faith, the statement read.

In this regard, Iran is voluntarily providing the IAEA with access to the two locations specified by the IAEA and facilitating the IAEA verification activities to resolve these issues, it said.

It added that dates for the IAEA access and the verification activities have been agreed.

The joint statement added that the IAEA verification activities will proceed in accordance with the CSA and the AP, and the IAEA’s standard verification practice as implemented for all states with CSAs and APs on equal basis and without discrimination.

“In the context of resolution GOV/2015/72 adopted by the Board of Governors on 15 December 2015, the IAEA and Iran recognize that these safeguards implementation issues are exclusively related to nuclear material and activities subject to safeguards under the CSA and the AP.”

In this present context, said the statement, “based on analysis of available information to the IAEA, the IAEA does not have further questions to Iran and further requests for access to locations other than those declared by Iran under its CSA and AP.”

It also said, “Both sides recognize the independence, impartiality and professionalism of the IAEA continue to be essential in the fulfilment of its verification activities.”

“The IAEA will continue to take into consideration Iran’s security concerns, by protecting all safeguards confidential information in accordance with the IAEA’s Statute, the relevant provisions of the CSA and the AP, and the established IAEA confidentiality regime, standards and procedures,” the statement read.

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EU Reacts to Statement on Iran, IAEA Cooperation

reporter 1222 — Thu, 27 Aug 2020 03:53:31 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Secretary-General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Helga Schmid reacted to the joint statement issued by Iran and IAEA saying that EU will continue its work to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal.

Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced in a six-point joint statement that the two sides agreed on Wednesday to further reinforce their cooperation and enhance mutual trust to facilitate the full implementation of Iran’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA) and the Additional Protocol (AP) thereto, which is provisionally applied by Iran since 16 January 2016.

The joint statement was released during a visit to Tehran by the agency’s chief Rafael Mariano Grossi.

Based on the Iran-IAEA statement, Iran voluntarily provides the IAEA with access to two locations specified by the Agency.

“Both sides recognize the independence, impartiality and professionalism of the IAEA continue to be essential in the fulfilment of its verification activities,” reads the statement.

It added, “The IAEA will continue to take into consideration Iran’s security concerns, by protecting all safeguards confidential information in accordance with the IAEA’s Statute, the relevant provisions of the CSA and the AP, and the established IAEA confidentiality regime, standards, and procedures.”

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Borrell: EU to Work with Parties to Preserve JCPOA

reporter 1222 — Sun, 23 Aug 2020 10:20:02 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell, who is the coordinator of the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), said the bloc will work to preserve the international agreement.

Borrell made the remarks in a recent telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the EU’s external action service (EEAS) said in a press release, the China Daily reported on Saturday.

Talking to Lavrov, Borrell reaffirmed his determination to continue to work with Russia, the other remaining participants of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the international community to preserve the agreement.

The EU’s external action service announced on Friday that a meeting of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA will take place in Vienna, Austria on Sept. 1, attended by delegates of China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and Iran.

Early on Thursday, the US sent a letter to the UN Security Council requesting to initiate the “snapback” mechanism, which allows a participant to the JCPOA to seek the reimposition against Iran of the multilateral sanctions lifted in 2015 in accordance with resolution 2231, adopted by the UN Security Council.

Borrell said in a statement on Thursday night that the US had lost ground to trigger the “snapback” mechanism as it withdrew from the agreement in 2018.

“As coordinator of the JCPOA Joint Commission I will continue to do everything possible to ensure the preservation and full implementation of the JCPoA by all,” said Borrell, underlining that the JCPOA remains a key pillar of the global non-proliferation architecture, contributing to regional security.

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Iranian Parliament Proposing Bill on JCPOA Withdrawal

reporter 1222 — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 04:16:56 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – A member of the Iranian Parliament announced on Monday that he has put forward a double-urgency bill on Iran’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Ali Khezrian made the announcement in a tweet while reacting to Trump’s announcement about triggering the snapback mechanism against Iran, Mehr News Agency (MNA) reported.

US failed at the United Nations Security Council to approve its resolution on extending an expiring arms embargo against Iran upon the JCPOA. Without being reinstated by the UNSC, the sanctions are set to be expired in October.

The UN Security Council on Friday resoundingly defeated the US resolution, leaving it far short of the minimum nine “yes” votes required for adoption. Eleven members abstained, including France, Germany and Britain, while the US and the Dominican Republic were the only yes votes. China and Russia strongly opposed the resolution, but didn’t need to use their vetoes.

“The US administration, one of the violators of the JCPOA, is to trigger the snapback mechanism. While remaining in the JCPOA in case of returning the UNSC resolutions will bring no more benefits for Iran, I put forward the double-urgency bill on ‘Iran’s automatic withdrawal from the JCPOA in case of activation of the snapback mechanism’,” Khezrian posted on his Twitter.

Iran can quit the JCPOA based on Paragraph 36 of the nuclear deal which reads: “If Iran believed that any or all of the E3/EU+3 were not meeting their commitments under this JCPOA, Iran could refer the issue to the Joint Commission for resolution; …If the issue still has not been resolved to the satisfaction of the complaining participant, and if the complaining participant deems the issue to constitute significant non-performance, then that participant could treat the unresolved issue as grounds to cease performing its commitments under this JCPOA in whole or in part and/or notify the UN Security Council that it believes the issue constitutes significant non-performance.“

US President Trump has said the United States will try to trigger a “snapback” of sanctions on Iran at the United Nations next week.

“We’ll be doing a snapback,” Trump told reporters on August 15, the day after the UN Security Council rejected a US-sponsored resolution to extend an arms embargo on Iran. “You’ll be watching it next week.”

However, Iranian FM Mohammad Javad Zarif highlighted that the US claim of its ability to trigger the snapback mechanism of the JCPOA is baseless.

“@AmbJohnBolton has repeated today what he said on May 8, 2018, while National Security Advisor in the Trump administration,” Zarif tweeted early on August 17, referring to an Op-ed by former US National Security Advisor John Bolton who notes that JCPOA supporters are ‘right’ about the fact that “Washington has no standing to invoke its [JCPOA’s] provisions” since it has withdrawn from the deal.

Iran and other signatories of the deal note that Washington cannot legally do so as it has officially ‘ceased participation’ in the deal in May 2018 and has not attended the sessions of the JCPOA Commission afterward.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said in a gathering in Beijing on Monday that the failure of the US resolution “again showed that unilateralism has no popular support, and hegemonic behavior will not succeed”.

The United States needed to end its unilateral sanctions and adopt a rational attitude, returning to the “correct path” of respecting the Iran nuclear agreement and Security Council decisions, Zhao added.

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Zarif: US Destroying Iran Deal, A Path to Law of Jungle

reporter 1222 — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 04:33:33 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said allowing the US to go to the full length of its ill-intentioned campaign to destroy the historic 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers promises a return to the law of the jungle.

Zarif made the remarks in an article he wrote in Le Monde, which the French paper published on Wednesday.

Through its obdurate campaign to bring about the total annihilation of the agreement, the United States is threatening to devastate what is left of multilateralism and international law, he wrote.

Known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the agreement was concluded between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in Vienna in 2015, which at that time included the US, Britain, France, Russia, and China plus Germany, Press TV reported.

Zarif noted that the deal was made to address all concerns regarding “the exclusively peaceful nature of our nuclear program,” while freeing the Iranian people from inhumane and unjust sanctions.

In May 2018, however, US President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled his country out of the deal and later reimposed the sanctions that the deal had lifted. The US’s intransigence flew in the face of the fact that the accord has been ratified by the United Nations Security Council in the form of Resolution 2231.

Zarif said in his article that, as a result of US behavior, Iran has been the target of “the most vicious and indiscriminate sanctions.”

The US’s“inflexibility and unpredictability” have nothing to do with the precepts of “game theory,” in which players are expected to make rational decisions, Zarif said, adding that Washington is just after punishing any party which adheres to international law.

“Whether in the case of its domestic mismanagement of COVID-19, or the undermining of peace and stability abroad, the current administration in Washington has no real plans other than to blindly attack all those who defend the rule of law,” the article read.

The top diplomat concluded that with its current behavior, the US is just shying away from offering any prospect for the future of the global community, and warned that it is “neither desirable nor viable” to allow Washington a free hand in its actions.

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