Practical Removal of US Sanctions Will Take Iran Back to JCPOA, Rouhani Says
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – President of Iran Hassan Rouhani reiterated that Tehran will resume honoring the 2015 nuclear deal in full as soon as the US lifts all sanctions in practice, saying the ball is now in the court of Washington.
In a telephone conversation with his Swiss counterpart Guy Parmelin on Tuesday, the Iranian president ruled out the possibility of any renegotiation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), saying the US should practically lift its “illegal” sanctions in the first place in order for the agreement to get back on track.
“The ball is in the US court now. When it lifts illegal sanctions in practice, everything will return to the right path,” Rouhani said.
He also noted that Iran’s strategy on the JCPOA has been “fully transparent”, adding if Washington lifts the sanctions in practice, and not only on paper, Tehran will resume the commitments it has suspended within the framework of its legal rights in response to America’s withdrawal from the deal in May 2018.
He added that attempts to settle issues through threats, pressure and bullying against the Iranian people have definitely faced defeat, referring to the so-called maximum pressure campaign that the US launched against Iran after withdrawing from the JCPOA, Press TV reported.
“The US maximum pressure has flatly failed due to the Iranian people’s resistance. Problems can be solved only through methods based on wisdom and mutual respect,” he said.
Following Washington’s exit under ex-president Donald Trump, Iran remained fully compliant with the JCPOA for an entire year waiting for the co-signatories to honor their commitments and offset the impacts of the US withdrawal.
As the remaining European parties failed to fulfill their end of the bargain under US pressure, Iran began in May 2019 to scale back its JCPOA commitments under Articles 26 and 36 of the accord covering Tehran’s legal rights.