Iran files complaint with ICJ over re-imposition of US sanctions: Zarif

Raa - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the Islamic Republic has lodged a complaint with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the United States' "unlawful" move to re-impose "unilateral" sanctions against Tehran.

News ID: 438684

Date: 16 July 2018 - 22:39

RNA - "Today Iran filed a complaint [with] @CIJ_ICJ to hold US accountable for its unlawful re-imposition of unilateral sanctions," Zarif said in a post on his official Twitter account on Monday.

US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that Washington was walking away from a nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in 2015.

The US president also said that he planned to reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose "the highest level" of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.

Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.

Since the JCPOA Implementation Day in January 2016, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been monitoring Iran’s compliance with its nuclear-related commitments under the nuclear deal and has consistently verified the Islamic Republic’s compliance.

The head of the UN nuclear agency in June reaffirmed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s access to all the required nuclear sites in Iran, calling on Tehran to ensure "timely and proactive cooperation" with inspections under the deal.

"As stated in my latest report to the Board [of Governors], the agency has conducted complementary accesses under the Additional Protocol to all the sites and locations in Iran which we needed to visit," Amano said in his introductory statement to the Board of Governors on June 4.

Zarif, one of the architects of the JCPOA, once again reaffirmed the Islamic Republic's commitment to its legal obligations.

Today Iran filed a complaint @CIJ_ICJ to hold US accountable for its unlawful re-imposition of unilateral sanctions. Iran is committed to the rule of law in the face of US contempt for diplomacy & legal obligations. It's imperative to counter its habit of violating int'l law.
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) July 16, 2018

"Iran is committed to the rule of law in the face of US contempt for diplomacy & legal obligations. It's imperative to counter its habit of violating int'l law," the top Iranian diplomat pointed out.

According to Press TV, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Sunday that the European signatories to the nuclear deal with Iran must provide Tehran with necessary guarantees about the continued implementation of the deal.

“Of course the European sides [to the JCPOA] are obligated to provide necessary guarantees with regard to the JCPOA, but the country’s economy must not be tied to this issue,” the Leader emphasized.

Since the US president pulled Washington out of the nuclear deal, European countries have been scrambling to ensure that Iran gets enough economic benefits to persuade it to stay in the deal. The remaining parties have vowed to stay in the accord.

In a Twitter post on Saturday on the occasion of the third anniversary of the conclusion of the JCPOA, Zarif also said that the historic nuclear agreement was still a "triumph of multilateral diplomacy" even after the US pullout from the agreement.

"While we knew US can't be trusted to keep its word—as its allies have now discovered—JCPOA proves that toxic unilateralism of Trump Admin means it can’t be relied on to honor any deal," the top Iranian diplomat added.

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