B-Team planned JCPOA exit before US quit deal: Iran FM

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says US National Security Advisor John Bolton, along with anti-Iran figures in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Israel were planning to push Washington out of a multilateral 2015 nuclear deal with Iran even before Bolton was appointed to his current post.

News ID: 444880

Date: 13 May 2019 - 22:49

RNA - Zarif made the remarks in a tweet addressed to US President Donald Trump, which appeared on his official Twitter page on Sunday, saying, “ICYMI, before you hired him [John Bolton], this was the plan that @AmbJohnBolton and his #B_Team cohorts had for Iran.”

The hawkish “B-team” is comprised of US National Security Adviser John Bolton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Zarif included in his tweet the link to an article by Bolton, which was published by the National Review magazine in 2017 when he was not Trump's national security advisor, in which the hawkish American politician reflected on how the United States could get out of the Iran nuclear deal, which is officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

.@realDonaldTrump : ICYMI, before you hired him, this was the plan that @AmbJohnBolton and his #B_Teamcohorts had for Iran. A detailed blueprint for #FakeIntelligence, #ForeverWar and even empty offers for talks—only phone numbers were not included.https://t.co/beCZByEaCTpic.twitter.com/q5fXBGcwtj

— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) May 12, 2019

Trump withdrew Washington in May 2018 from the historic nuclear agreement and decided to re-impose unilateral sanctions against Tehran.

Under the JCPOA, reached in July 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries including the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions.

On May 8, Iran announced that it would stop exporting excess uranium and heavy water, setting a 60-day deadline for the five remaining parties to the deal to take practical measures towards ensuring Iran’s interests in the face of the American sanctions.

“A detailed blueprint for #FakeIntelligence, #ForeverWar and even empty offers for talks—only phone numbers were not included,” Zarif added in his tweet in what is a clear allusion to a recent CNN report, alleging that the White House has contacted Swiss authorities to share a telephone number with Iran in hopes that Tehran will contact Trump.

The White House contacted the Swiss on Thursday, the same day Trump publicly appealed to Iran to call him amid heightened tensions, the broadcaster cited a source as saying.

The source, however, said Iran was “highly unlikely” to demand the number from Swiss authorities.

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