Abbas Araghchi: All Sanctions Related to Iran's Nuclear Program Have Been Lifted

Abbas Araghchi, a senior member of the Iranian delegation in nuclear negotiations, states that all sanctions related to the nuclear program have now been lifted, and if there are still other sanctions and obstacles, they are not related to the JCPOA. These remarks from the Iranian Foreign Ministry official were reflected in the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on Wednesday, March 4, discussing the achievements of the nuclear agreement for Iran, including the lifting of oil sanctions and the return of blocked funds from oil sales to the country. Mr. Araghchi stated, "The JCPOA was only about lifting nuclear sanctions and removing obstacles in the way of Iran's economy. Of course, there are other obstacles, but they are not related to the JCPOA, and we were neither allowed nor was it appropriate to negotiate about other sanctions." He further added, "Some non-nuclear sanctions are still in place, but nuclear sanctions have been lifted. Therefore, all obstacles that were in the way of Iran's economy due to the nuclear issue have been removed... and everything that was expected regarding sanctions from the JCPOA has been implemented." These statements come as the U.S. Congress's action to extend the Iran Sanctions Act for ten years, which occurred in the final weeks of Barack Obama's administration, provoked severe protests from Tehran, with some high-ranking officials, including the Supreme Leader, interpreting it as a violation of the JCPOA, a claim the U.S. government rejected. Iranian officials had previously accused the U.S. of "bad faith" and preventing the lifting of sanctions and the return of blocked funds to the country, but now Abbas Araghchi emphasizes that with the lifting of nuclear sanctions, oil revenue has returned to the country, although he also mentions that the U.S. intended to "hinder" this process. This Iranian government official said, "Before the oil sanctions, Iran's oil sales were 2.5 million barrels per day, which decreased to one million barrels per day due to sanctions. After the JCPOA, Iran's oil sales returned to 2.5 million barrels per day, and all the money from oil sales has also returned to the country and re-entered the Iranian economy." He added, "Of course, over the past year, there have been efforts by the U.S. to violate the JCPOA, and many obstacles were placed in Iran's path, but all these obstacles have been removed." The previous U.S. administration considered the nuclear agreement with Iran one of its significant achievements and believed that this agreement prevented war, but Donald Trump's administration opposed this agreement and spoke of the need to revise it, a matter that Iran has vehemently rejected. In this context, Tillerson denied reports about the U.S. willingness to cancel the nuclear agreement with Iran. Zarif stated that Europe, Russia, and China want to preserve the JCPOA. Pence emphasized the U.S. commitment to preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Ross stated that if Iran's behavior is outside the JCPOA, then our response is also unrelated to it.