We didn’t violate the nuclear deal, you did

A senior Iranian official delivered to Newsweek the response of the Islamic Republic to the first official remarks by Secretary of State Antony Blinken on President Joe Biden’s approach to tensions between Tehran and Washington is rooted in the latter’s exit under the previous administration of the Plan of Action global joint (JCPOA), the multilateral nuclear agreement with Iran.

While Biden had promised in the past to restore US membership in the deal struck by former President Barack Obama alongside other countries in 2015 and unilaterally abandoned by former President Donald Trump in 2018, Blinken told reporters on Wednesday that the new administration was “a long way” from returning to the pact.

In a statement sent to NewsweekIranian Permanent Mission to United Nations Spokesman Alireza Miryousefi noted that the United States not only broke its commitments to the nuclear deal, but also United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 who supported him.

“The current US administration, as its predecessor, is in violation of its commitments based on the JCPOA and UNSCR 2231,” Miryousefi said.

He referred to recent statements by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Permanent Representative to the UN Majid Takht-Ravanchi, both of whom urged the Biden administration to turn the tide ahead of Blinken’s comments.

“As FM Zarif and Amb. Ravanchi reiterated in their recent editorial, we have always maintained that the United States, as the party that has violated not only the JCPOA but also UNSCR 2231 – in violation of the law international – should respect both and lift the sanctions it has imposed, ”Miryousefi said.

Iranian officials have waived the main nuclear enrichment caps contained in the deal, but say they did so within the bounds of the resolution, particularly paragraph 36. This section allows Iran – after a long-standing review process – “to cease fulfilling its commitments under this JCPOA in whole or in part and / or notify the UN Security Council that it considers the matter a no. -significant performance. “

Miryousefi cited this section to support Tehran’s position.

“Iran is not ‘in violation’ of the agreement, it simply triggered paragraph 36 which allows Iran to take remedial action in the face of continued non-compliance by other parties,” a- he declared. Newsweek.

The Trump administration’s departure from the deal sparked a “maximum pressure” campaign that ravaged an already financially struggling Iranian economy. It also forced international investors out of the Islamic Republic, which further fueled Iran’s suspension of its obligations under the agreement.

In his remarks on Wednesday, however, Blinken only blamed Tehran, which he said should take the first step.

“Regarding Iran, President Biden has been very clear that if Iran reverts to fulfilling obligations under the JCPOA, the United States will do the same,” Blinken said. “And then we would use that as a platform to build with our allies and partners what we call a longer and stronger agreement and to deal with other issues that are deeply problematic in relations with Iran.”

Rejecting Iranian calls for an early return to the pact, Blinken said there were no immediate plans to get diplomacy between the two longtime rivals back on track.

“Iran is not in compliance on a number of fronts, and it would take some time, if it makes the decision to do so, to come back into compliance and time then for us to assess whether it fulfills its obligations, ”Blinken said. . “We’re not there yet, to say the least.”

The other JCPOA signatories, China, France, Germany, Russia and the UK have joined Iran in urging the United States to join the deal. But European parties to the deal have also stressed that Iran must stop enriching uranium at rates exceeding the deal’s designated limits.

Moscow and Beijing have also expressed concern, but accused Washington’s exit and subsequent sanctions as the main instigators of the dispute, which has sparked tensions across the Middle East.

Among the few countries that oppose a return of the United States to the JCPOA is Israel, which has stepped up a campaign to target groups linked to Iran accused of establishing forward bases and transferring weapons to countries like Syria.

Senior Israeli General Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi called reinstating the deal or any similar deal with Iran “operationally and strategically bad” in a high-profile speech on Tuesday in which he alluded to new military options targeting the Islamic Republic.

The Sunni Muslim monarchies of the Arabian Peninsula, with which the Trump administration had forged close ties and oversaw a warming of relations with Israel, have also expressed reservations about any U.S.-Iranian diplomacy.

While the Obama administration – in which Biden served as vice president and Blinken as deputy national security adviser – pursued strategic detente with Iran, the Trump administration doubled down against a country with which the United States have disagreed for more than four decades.

Unrest has exploded over the past four years in the Persian Gulf and Iraq, where Trump ordered the assassination of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force commander, Major General Qassem Soleimani in January, an act that Biden criticized at the time. Heightened tensions surrounded the anniversary of the murder of the Iranian military leader earlier this month, and a series of back-to-back military exercises coincided with Biden’s inauguration.

However, as a new US leader takes hold, the tenure days of his Iranian counterpart have been limited. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s second term ends with the June elections, and Iranian political forces opposed to dealing with the West have emboldened in recent years.

The Iranian president called the sanctions a failure during a cabinet session on Wednesday.

“Today, we are more convinced than ever that the enemy’s economic war has failed and is in its last days,” said the Iranian president.

He added a call for Washington to return to the nuclear pact.

“These days, with the exception of a few countries, the whole world is calling on the United States to return to its commitments in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” said Rouhani.