Speaking at Britain’s Royal Institute of International Affairs in London “Chatham House” , Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi criticized US President Donald Trump over his threat to stop waiving anti-Iran sanctions, a US commitment under known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“If the same policy of confusion and uncertainties about the JCPOA continues, if companies and banks are not working with Iran, we cannot remain in a deal that has no benefit for us,” he said. “Trump has created an atmosphere of uncertainty which is like a poison for the business community in working with Iran.”
Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China – plus Germany signed the nuclear agreement on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.
Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.
Trump has repeatedly described the nuclear deal, as “the worst and most one-sided transaction Washington has ever entered into,” a characterization he often used during his presidential campaign, and threatened to tear it up.
The US president on January 12 reluctantly agreed to waive sanctions against Iran that were lifted as part of the landmark deal, but said it would be the last time he issued such a waiver unless his conditions were met.
The US president said he wanted America’s European allies to use the 120-day period before sanctions relief again came up for renewal to agree to fix its "terrible flaws," otherwise Washington will no more extend the bans relief.
Araqchi further said, “the deal would not survive this way even if the ultimatum is passed and waivers are extended.”
The Iranian official rejected Washington’s interpretation of the "sunset" clause in the JCPOA as wrong.
“There is no sunset clause in the JCPOA. Although the US administration and Trump are talking about sunset clause and that JCPOA is just for 10 years, that is not true,” he said. “Iran’s commitment in the JCPOA not to go for the nuclear weapons is permanent.”
In conclusion, Iran’s top diplomat pointed to Iran’s fighting against terrorists and reiterated, “all countries are fully aware of this issue that Iran faced difficulty in fighting against terrorism in international arena.”
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