No New Deal in Tandem with JCPOA: Iranian Spokesman
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry dismissed the idea of a new agreement in parallel with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, saying the ongoing meetings in Vienna only pursue ways for the return of the JCPOA violator, namely the US, to the nuclear deal.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Saeed Khatibzadeh made it clear that no new agreement would be brought into being in parallel with the 2015 nuclear deal.
He said the JCPOA Joint Commission has convened in Vienna to discuss ways for the violator of the deal to rejoin the agreement.
The spokesman reiterated that the US must honor its JCPOA commitments and lift the sanctions in a verifiable manner before being allowed to take part in the JCPOA Joint Commission meetings.
“The US is behind the doors of the JCPOA and the Joint Commission for now,” Khatibzadeh added.
He further noted that the JCPOA consultations will go on more easily if the administration of US President Joe Biden decides to distance itself from the failed legacy of Donald Trump and fulfill its obligations.
The spokesman also denied any direct or indirect talks between Iran and the US in Vienna, emphasizing that Tehran’s remedial measures that are within the framework of the JCPOA will halt after it verifies that the US sanctions are terminated.
In remarks on Wednesday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei warned against protracted talks with the participant parties to the JCPOA, namely France, the UK, Germany, Russia and China, saying he has directed Iranian negotiators to proceed with the talks for now.
“The fact that the Americans talk about engaging in direct and indirect negotiations (with Iran) is not because they want to negotiate to accept the truth, rather they want to negotiate to impose their wrongful argument” on Iran, the Leader warned.
Trump unilaterally pulled Washington out of the JCPOA in 2018 and imposed harsh economic sanctions on Iran. He called his anti-Iran moves the “maximum pressure” policy.
Iran fully honored its nuclear commitments under the deal for an entire year, but it began to scale down its commitments on May 8, 2019. The decision was made as part of Iran’s right under Articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA in response to the breach of the agreement by the other side.