Leader's Top Aide:

Iran Not to Compromise on N. Deal Demands

Rasa - Iranian Supreme Leader's top aide for international affairs Ali Akbar Velayati underlined the need for Europe to remain committed to the 2015 nuclear deal, adding that Tehran will not compromise its requirements for continuing its compliance under the deal.

News ID: 438363

Date: 22 June 2018 - 21:56

RNA - Velayati urged the Europeans to keep their promises with regards to the nuclear deal and also forced the US to avoid creating obstruction in this regard.

Speaking to reporters in Tehran on Wednesday, he said the Iranian nation has voiced its conditions to remain committed to the JCPOA and under no circumstances accepts any change to such approach and this has been uttered by President Rouhani.

In relevant remarks on Tuesday, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi underlined that the AEOI will under no condition hold talks on the nuclear deal reached between Tehran and the six world powers in Vienna in July 2015.

"In the upcoming Oslo meeting, I would express Iran's explicit stance on the multilateral nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed between Tehran and the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, France and Britain plus Germany) after Washington's move to withdraw from it," Salehi said upon his arrival in Oslo, Norway.

He underlined that certainly, the JCPOA will be one the most important issues which will be discussed and we will declare Iran's positions explicitly and transparently.

Salehi underlined that he will defend Iran's national interests "in the best way" during the upcoming Oslo Forum.

US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that the US would no longer remain part of the JCPOA and promised to re-impose the highest level of economic sanctions against Iran in response to Tehran's development of its nuclear program.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo later threatened Iran with the “strongest sanctions in history” if it did not comply with a list of steep demands, including ending uranium enrichment.

Iran has said it will remain committed to the deal for the time being, pending negotiations with other signatories to the JCPOA to see if Iran’s interests would still be protected under an accord without the US.

Tehran’s other partners in the deal – Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China – have all opposed Washington’s unilateral withdrawal and said they would still live up to their commitments as part of the deal.

According to Fars News Agancy, after Trump's declaration, the Iranian government issued a statement, calling the US withdrawal as "unlawful". The statement underlined Iran's prerequisites for continuing the deal with the five world powers after the US pullout of the agreement.

"Iran, as a country that has remained committed to its legal obligations, will pursue the US Government’s decision to withdraw from the JCPOA as provided by the mechanisms and provisions of the accord, and if the US withdrawal is not fully compensated and the full interests of the Iranian people are not met and guaranteed – as stated in the accord and as outlined by Iran’s Leader on 9 May – it will exercise its legal right to take whatever reciprocal measures it deems expedient. Other parties to the JCPOA, and especially its three European signatories, must take necessary action to safeguard the accord and to implement their commitments – which they proved incapable of fully performing even while the US was nominally a party to the deal, due to the obstructions by the Trump Administration – and to proceed from giving pledges to taking practical action without any preconditions," it said.

"None of the provisions or timeframes within the JCPOA, which were the subject of twelve years of negotiations, are negotiable in any manner. The US, which has through its meddling and erroneous policies ignited extremism, terrorism, destruction, war and child killing in our region, is in no position to issue any diktat about the Islamic Republic of Iran’s lawful presence within its own region nor its effective support for the peoples of Syria and Iraq in their endeavor to fight extremists. The US and its allies, which through their support for the regime of Saddam Hussein, including equipping it with chemical weapons and the most advanced military equipment while blocking Iran’s access to any means of defense victimized the Iranian people for eight years, and currently turning our region into a powder keg through their sale of hundreds of billions of dollars of useless advanced weaponry devouring the financial resources of the region, are in no position to impose restrictions on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s lawful means of defense, including defensive ballistic missiles which have been designed to carry conventional weapons based on the bitter experiences of the war with the regime of Saddam Hussein. Indeed, such efforts explicitly violate the principles of international law, and the Islamic Republic of Iran’s legitimate right to self-defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter," it added.

"As announced by the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran on 8 May, the Foreign Minister has been tasked with the duty of taking the necessary measures to obtain required guarantees from the remaining parties to the JCPOA as well as Iran’s other economic partners, and to immediately report the results of this mission. Meanwhile, the President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has been tasked with taking all necessary steps in preparation for Iran to pursue industrial-scale enrichment without any restrictions, using the results of the latest research and development of Iran’s brave nuclear scientists."

"The people of Iran will with calm and confidence continue their path towards progress and development and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has foreseen all necessary measures to facilitate this under any circumstances," the statement continued.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran, as a secure and powerful state, which derives its security and economic development from within, relying on the prudent participation and resilience of its brave and civilized people, seeks constructive and dignified engagement with the world, and as shown by its implementation of the JCPOA despite the United States’ continuous violations, is a trustworthy and committed partner for all who are prepared to cooperate on the basis of shared interests and mutual respect," it reiterated.

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