Iran: Imposing New Sanctions Equals Quitting Nuclear Deal

Rasa - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif blasted US President Donald Trump's anti-Iran rhetoric, and said if Washington re-imposes sanctions against Iran it would mean walking away from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

News ID: 437349

Date: 25 April 2018 - 22:04

RNA - “If Trump re-imposes sanctions, basically killing the deal, Iran would no longer be bound by the pact’s international obligations, freeing it up to resume enrichment far beyond the deal’s strict limits,” Zarif said on Tuesday.

The Iranian foreign minister underlined that if the United States were to withdraw from the nuclear deal, the immediate consequence in all likelihood would be that Iran would reciprocate and withdraw, and said, "There won’t be any deal for Iran to stay in.”

He pointed to President Trump's policy towards international agreements, and said, "They’re prepared to take everything that you’ve given, then renege on the promises that they have made in the deal."

In relevant remarks last week, Zarif pointed to anti-Iran allegations made by US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, and said, “US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has paraded missile parts ostensibly recovered in Saudi Arabia in front of reporters and UN Security Council diplomats, arguing that they bear markings and other characteristics proving their Iranian origin.”

I’m not saying Ambassador Haley is fabricating, but somebody is fabricating the evidence she is showing,” Zarif said.

In relevant remarks last week, Zarif welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron's statement that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action had no alternative to replace, reiterating that the nuclear deal was not liable to change.

"President Macron is correct in saying there's no Plan B on JCPOA. It's either all or nothing," Zarif wrote on his Twitter account.

The Iranian foreign minister underlined that the European leaders should encourage US President Donald Trump not just to stay in the nuclear deal, but more importantly to begin implementing his part of the bargain in good faith.

On Sunday, it was reported that President Macron was urging President Trump to stick with the Iranian nuclear accord, arguing there's no "Plan B."

According to Fars News Agancy, Macron told the broadcast "Fox News Sunday" that he thinks that "the 2015 deal curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions is imperfect. But the French leader, who begins a state visit to Washington on Monday, asked, "What do you have as a better option?"

Trump has vowed to withdraw from the Iran deal by May 12 unless US and European negotiators agree to fix what he calls its serious flaws.

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