Iran’s FM Cautions against US JCPOA Exit
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the reaction of the Islamic Republic and the international community to the US government’s possible withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal would not be “pleasant” to Washington.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday at the end of his official visit to Tajikistan, Zarif pointed to recent comments made by US officials against the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and said, “What we have repeatedly said is that Iran will protect its interests and that Iran’s benefits from the JCPOA should be safeguarded.”
“Should the US leave the JCPOA, it will definitely see a reaction from Iran and the international community that will not be pleasant to it at all,” he added.
Zarif further reiterated Tehran’s strong opposition to the idea of renegotiating the JCPOA and said the accord only involves nuclear issues as the two sides have agreed not to include other issues.
Under the deal, Iran agreed to curbs and inspections on its nuclear program in exchange for relief from anti-Tehran sanctions.
US President Donald Trump in January set a 120-day deadline for US lawmakers and European allies to “fix” his predecessor Barack Obama's main foreign policy achievement or face a US exit.
Since the historic deal was signed by Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) in Vienna in July 2015, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly confirmed the Islamic Republic’s compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA, but some other parties, especially the US, have failed to live up to their undertakings.
In March, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of serious repercussions of a US decision to pull out of the multilateral agreement, saying such a move would plunge the Middle East into war.