Zarif Urges EU to Reject US Economic Terrorism
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad Javad Zarif called on the European Union to stand against the US’ economic terrorism in the same way that it opposed Washington’s “vandalism” in the UN Security Council.
“Iran rejects nuclear weapons for religious & strategic reasons—far weightier than any ‘deal’,” Zarif said in a post on his Twitter account on Thursday.
“But if E3/EU want full implementation of CBMs & enhanced transparency that JCPOA provides, they should reject US Economic Terrorism just as they've rejected its vandalism in the UNSC,” he added, referring to the transparency-focused and confidence-building measures (CBMs) concerning Iran’s peaceful nuclear energy program.
The ‘transparency and confidence building measures’ is part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a nuclear deal that Iran signed with the E3, the US, China, and Russia in Vienna in 2015.
As part of the measures, the Islamic Republic undertook voluntary curbs on its nuclear activities.
Tehran was, however, forced to lift the limits that it had accepted under the JCPOA on its nuclear work after the US illegally and unilaterally left the nuclear agreement, returned the sanctions that the deal had lifted, and began threatening others, including the E3, into toeing its sanction line.
The Islamic Republic says the US’ campaign of economic pressure amounts to economic terrorism.
The majority of the Security Council members, including the European trio, stood up to US attempts over the recent months to prolong an anti-Iran arms embargo -- that will expire under the JCPOA in October -- and a subsequent Washington's push to return all of the UNSC sanctions against Tehran.
In another tweet on Wednesday night, Zarif had blasted the US for its “hypocritical” opposition to Tehran’s peaceful nuclear energy and defensive missile programs while spending 100 billion dollars on developing new nuclear intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), Press TV reported.
