US House Passage of Sanctions Bill to Draw Iran’s Firm Response: Diplomat
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iranian deputy foreign minister denounced the US House of Representatives’ move to pass a bill on sanctions against Tehran as a hurdle in the successful implementation of the JCPOA, saying the “hostile” measure will definitely receive a response from Iran.
The US Congressional legislation on new sanctions is a “flagrant hostile action against Iran,” and is going to get a decisive reaction from Tehran, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Seyed Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday.
His comments came after the Republican-controlled House passed a sweeping package of bills on Iran, Russia, and North Korea sanctions in a 419-3 vote, sending the legislation to the Senate for almost certain passage and likely making it veto-proof.
“This measure… could undermine the successful implementation of the JCPOA and could curtail the advantages the JCPOA gives to Iran,” Araqchi deplored, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a nuclear agreement between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).
He also noted that the US bill is in contradiction to various articles of the JCPOA, which the US has undertaken to carry out with goodwill and in a constructive atmosphere.
Iran waits to see what happens in the coming months, and will make decisions according to Washington’s moves in practice, Araqchi underlined.
Iran and the Group 5+1 (also known as E3+3) reached a conclusion over the text of the JCPOA in July 2015.
The 159-page accord took effect in January 2016 and was supposed to terminate all nuclear-related sanctions against Iran all at once, but its implementation has been hampered mainly due to US policies.
