Collapse of JCPOA in No One’s Interest: President Rouhani
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani highlighted the importance of the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and said the collapse of the international accord would not be in the interest of the Islamic Republic, France and other World countries.
Speaking at a meeting with the new ambassador of France to Tehran on Monday, Rouhani said Iran has exercised self-restraint over the past year and remained in the JCPOA at the request of France and the European Union, who have promised to compensate for the US withdrawal from the accord.
“The current situation is very critical and France, along with the other parties to the JCPOA, still has a very limited opportunity to play its historic role in saving the deal,” he said.
“There is no doubt that the collapse of the JCPOA will not be beneficial to Iran, France, the region and the world,” Rouhani added.
The French diplomat, for his part, emphasized that Paris is determined to deepen its relations with Iran in all fields.
Rouhani’s remarks came against the backdrop of increased tensions between Iran and the US with Washington imposing new sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
The US has ratcheted up pressure on Iran since last year after withdrawing from the JCPOA.
Since then, the administration of US President Donald Trump is trying to reduce Iran’s oil exports to “zero,” and has sent an aircraft carrier strike group, a bomber squad, an amphibious assault ship, and a Patriot missile battery to the Middle East to try to stack up pressure on Tehran.
Iranian officials, however, have dismissed such moves as psychological warfare, saying the country has its own ways of circumventing the American bans and selling crude oil.
On the first anniversary of the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Iran announced that it would suspend the implementation of some of its commitments under the deal, announcing that it would stop exporting excess uranium and heavy water, setting a 60-day deadline for the five remaining parties to the deal to take practical measures towards ensuring its interests in the face of the American sanctions.
