Zarif:

US Should Return to Nagotiating Table, Not Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stated that Tehran will not renegotiate the nuclear deal that was achieved after years talks, urging the United States to consider diplomacy instead of hostility.

News ID: 446006

Date: 16 July 2019 - 22:24

RNA - "We did not leave the negotiation table. It was the United States that left it. They have to return to the negotiating table," Zarif said in an appearance on UK TV show Hard Talk on the BBC on Tuesday, emphsizing that the Islamic Republic "will not renegotiate".

Iran's foreign minister reminded that the agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was the subject of "twelve years of negotiations", saying that his country spent a lot of time with the Unites States negotiating the nuclear deal, and "it's about give and take".

If war were to erupt in the Persian Gulf region then no country would be safe, Zarif told presenter Zeinab Badawi, as he was asked about previous statements from Iranian officials that stated there would be attacks on allies of the United States, such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia if military action were taken against Iran.

"If there is a war then I do not think anybody will be safe in our region. But let us all try to avoid one," he noted, insisting that "we don't need a war".

He stressed that Iran does not take "blind action" and does not want a military escalation, although the Persian Gulf countries are participating in the US economic war on Tehran.

Zarif said his country will sell oil but not its dignity, in a reference to talks under the US sanctions and pressures.

He added that "the Iranian nation's dignity is not for sale", referring to Washington offer of talks without lifting its unilateral economic sanctions.

Washington withdrew from the internationally-endorsed 2015 nuclear deal with Iran on May 2018, reimposed the toughest-ever sanctions against the country and started a plan to zero down Tehran's oil sales.

In early May, the Islamic Republic announced the suspension of some of the country’s commitments under the JCPOA, precisely a year after the United States unilaterally withdrew from the deal and reimposed harsh sanctions against Tehran. The Islamic Republic has vowed to reduce its commitments to the nuclear deal every 60 days if the issue is not resolved, as Europe had failed to fulfill its commitments to the JCPOA, while "the doors of diplomacy are still open".

Iran, which had been fully complying with all of its commitments despite the US pullout and the European shortfalls, announced in early July that it was set to increase enrichment purity to levels higher than 3.67 percent after the European parties missed the deadline.

Under the nuclear agreement reached between Iran and six world powers in July 2015, Tehran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions.

Yet, Iran continued compliance with the deal, stressing that the remaining signatories to the agreement, specially the Europeans had to work to offset the negative impacts of the US pullout for Iran if they want Tehran to remain in compliance. The Iranian officials had warned that the European Union’s failure in providing the needed ground for Tehran to enjoy the economic benefits of the nuclear deal would exhaust the country's patience.

Almost a year later, however, the EU failed to provide Tehran with its promised merits. Then, the US state department announced that it had not extended two waivers, one that allowed Iran to store excess heavy water produced in the uranium enrichment process in Oman, and one that allowed Iran to swap enriched uranium for raw yellowcake with Russia.

Until May, Iran was allowed to ship low-enriched uranium produced at Natanz to Russia before it hit the 300-kg limit and the US measure leaves no way for Tehran other than exceeding the ceiling for storing the enriched uranium in violation of the 2015 nuclear deal.

Also, the United States would no longer waive sanctions that allowed Iran to ship heavy water produced at its Arak facility beyond a 300-ton limit set in the 2015 nuclear deal to Oman for storage which again forces Tehran to store it inside country in violation of the nuclear deal.

In return, Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) announced in a statement on May 8 that the country had modified two of its undertakings under the JCPOA in return for the US abrogation of the deal and other signatories inability to make up for the losses under the agreement, warning that modifications would continue if the world powers failed to take action in line with their promises.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran declares that at the current stage, it does not any more see itself committed to respecting the limitations on keeping enriched uranium and heavy water reserves," the statement read.

Then Iran gave Europe 60 days to either normalize economic ties with Iran or accept the modification of Tehran’s obligations under the agreement and implement the Europe's proposed Instrument in Support of Trade Exchange (INSTEX) to facilitate trade with Iran.

Iran set up and registered a counterpart to INSTEX called Special Trade and Financing Instrument between Iran and Europe (STFI) to pave the way for bilateral trade.

Then on June 28, Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Helga Schmid announced that INSTEX has become operational.

"INSTEX now operational, first transactions being processed and more EU Members States to join. Good progress on Arak and Fordow projects," Schmid wrote on her twitter account after a meeting of the Joint Commission on JCPOA ended in Vienna following three and a half hours of talks by the remaining signatories to the deal (the EU3 and Russia and China).

According to Fars News Agancy, it was the 12th meeting of the Joint Commission on JCPOA in Vienna.

Meantime, seven European countries --- Austria, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden --- in a joint statement expressed their support for the efforts for implementation of the INSTEX.

Later, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araqchi described the nuclear deal joint commission meeting with the Europeans as "a step forward", but meantime, reminded that it did not meet Iran's expectations.

“It was a step forward, but it is still not enough and not meeting Iran’s expectations,” stated Araqchi, who headed the Iranian delegation at the JCPOA joint commission meeting in Vienna.

In addition to their defiance of the JCPOA, the Europeans showed more animosity towards Iran and seized an Iranian oil tanker by Britain at the US request.

Acting Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said Gibraltar detained the supertanker Grace 1 after a request by the United States to Britain.

Borrell was quoted by Reuters as saying that Spain was looking into the seizure of the ship and how it may affect Spanish sovereignty as it appears to have happened in Spanish waters.

Spain does not recognize the waters around Gibraltar as British.

Experts believe that the measure taken by the British government in seizing the Syria-bound Iranian tanker is illegal and can have serious consequences for the government in London as it would mean a lethal blow to the JCPOA.

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