Iran’s FM Calls JCPOA A Balanced Document
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described the finalized text of a nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers as balanced, saying even the timing of the reciprocal measures stipulated in the document has been worked out in a way to be acceptable to both sides.
“The finalized text (of the nuclear deal) is a balanced one. We have not imposed our whole demands on the other side in that text, nor could the other side do such a thing (to us); because (in that case) it would have been not an agreement but a surrender document,” Zarif said on Sunday.
He made the comments in a meeting held in Tehran to discuss the results of talks between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Iran and the six powers finalized the text of a lasting nuclear accord in Vienna on July 14, after 23 months of diplomatic negotiations.
Dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the deal will end more than a decade of impasse over Iran’s nuclear case after taking effect and would also terminate the whole nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council, the US and the European Union.
Highlighting the strong points of the JCPOA, Zarif said that there exists a “remarkable balance” when it comes to the timing of the measures the two sides will take under the accord.
He also made a reference to a resolution the United Nations Security Council adopted to endorse the JCPOA, saying that Resolution 2231 even encourages the countries to cooperate with Iran over its nuclear program, unlike the previous resolutions that imposed bans on Iran’s activities.
The minister reiterated that the conclusion of the nuclear talks proved the Western sanctions’ failure to drive a wedge between the Iranian nation and government.
The purpose of the sanctions was not only putting economic burdens on Iran, but they sought a regime change in the Islamic Republic through mounting pressure on the Iranian nation, Zarif added, noting that none of those tactics could alienate the Iranian people from the government.
