Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said that Tehran would swiftly abide by its obligations under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) if President-elect Joe Biden lifted the current crippling sanctions on the country.
“If Mr. Biden is willing to fulfill US commitments, we too can immediately return to our full commitments in the accord … and negotiations are possible within the framework of the P5 + 1,” Zarif said in an interview posted on the website of the state-run Iran Daily on Wednesday. Zarif added that Iran is open to discussing the US’ reentry into the agreement and that lifting all restrictive measures would be possible with three executive orders.
Under the JCPOA – which was enshrined in UN Security Council Resolution 2231 – Iran agreed to limit its uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief. However, in May 2018, US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal and has since then unilaterally reimposed all US sanctions on the country, most recently, on its entire financial sector in order to pressure Tehran into abandoning its nuclear ambitions.
Trump’s maximum pressure campaign has been heavily criticized by the Iranian leadership, which has condemned the US for engaging in crimes against humanity by “blowing up” the country’s channels to pay for food and medicines and conspiring to starve a population. Iran is one of the hardest-hit countries by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle East, and US sanctions have not only plunged the country into the deep recesses of a crumbling currency, spiraling prices, and increasing unemployment but also made it difficult for Iran to import humanitarian goods. Iran has also retaliated by exceeding its uranium stockpile and heavy water limits, which were agreed upon in the 2015 deal.
While campaigning for the 2020 US election, Joe Biden had promised to reinstate the 2015 accord if Iran agrees to comply with the terms of the agreement. The new President-elect, who was Vice President when the nuclear deal was struck, pledged that the US would rejoin the accord “as a starting point for follow-on negotiations.”
However, this vision has been complicated by reports that the Trump administration plans to impose a “flood” of sanctions on the nation until Biden’s inauguration on January 20. Furthermore, on November 9, Iran made clear that it had no intention of returning to the negotiating table. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh announced: “The nuclear agreement is a thing of the past, and it cannot be reopened and renegotiated by anyone”. He further added that America “violated Resolution 2231, withdrew from the nuclear agreement, and is responsible for the losses inflicted on Iran, and it must bear responsibility for its violation of international law and its behaviour against Iran”.
FM Zarif’s Wednesday remarks, however, suggest that as soon as the US lifts sanctions on Iran, the country will adhere to the terms of the JCPOA and stop breaching uranium enrichment limits. “This can be done automatically and with no need to set conditions: The United States carries out its duties under [Security Council Resolution] 2231 [lift sanctions] and we will carry out our commitments under the nuclear deal,” said Zarif, adding: “This needs no negotiation or conditions and it’s feasible.” The leader also stated that once these conditions were met, the countries could move to negotiate America’s return to the agreement, but said that that was not the priority. “The first priority is America ending its lawbreaking and rebelling”, he said.
Iran Vows to Fully Implement JCPOA if Biden Lifts Sanctions
President-elect Joe Biden has promised to rejoin the accord after Donald Trump abandoned it in 2018.
November 19, 2020
SOURCE: PBS