Ali Shamkhani who represents Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Supreme National Security Council told reporters on Tuesday that Iran would not be the first side to undermine JCPOA, since it was an international and multilateral agreement; “we have different alternatives against possible violations of the JCPOA; our maneuvering power is enough to act as deterrent for other sides to avoid ignoring the deal altogether,” he added.
Shamkhani believed that in terms of stability, Iran enjoyed pristine setting, with comparably more stability in the Middle East mired in violence and turmoil, which outweighs other considerations which would discourage investing in Iran’s oil and gas; these assets, along with geography sets Iran as an example where security is the first priority in any enterprise by foreign investors.
“Even the mildly harsh report about Iran by the IAEA states that Iran had been acting according to its commitments in JCPOA,” Mr. Shamkhani said. “Trump’s espousal of a policy of easing restrictions on extraction of oil in the mainland US would have impacts on the global oil markets, however in short run.”
Asked about the SNSC’s debates and whether Ministry of Oil provided the debates with a topic, Shamkhani ruled out the necessity to do so; “the Ministry is the sole decision-maker in long-term policy and approach to country’s oil industry and the Council would not consider it necessary to debate such decisions,” he responded.
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