Ali Khamenei Praises Law That Hassan Rouhani Called 'An Obstacle to Reviving the JCPOA'

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, in a meeting with members of Parliament, praised the 'Strategic Action Law' that was passed regarding the JCPOA in the final months of Hassan Rouhani's presidency, stating: 'Your law saved the country from confusion in the nuclear issue.' Ali Khamenei emphasized to the representatives: 'Your law is different from our words; our words resemble advice; your law is executable and mandatory.' It is noteworthy that in December 2020, the Islamic Consultative Assembly passed the 'Strategic Action Law' claiming it was 'an action to lift sanctions and protect the interests of the Iranian people.' Article 1 of this law states that in order to 'fulfill the nine conditions of the leader regarding the nuclear agreement, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran is obliged to immediately produce uranium enriched to twenty percent after the law's approval and to store at least 120 kilograms of it domestically each year.' This law's requirements posed challenges to the 'return to the JCPOA.' In this context, Hassan Rouhani, in the last months of his presidency, criticized the Parliament for passing this law, stating that if it weren't for the Parliament's interference, the JCPOA would have been revived in 2020. In response to Rouhani's repeated remarks and those of his government members, the spokesman for the Parliament's National Security Commission stated in August 2022: 'Nuclear negotiations between Iran and the 1+4 group began on April 1, 2021, so Hassan Rouhani's remarks are unfounded.' In this regard, the Kayhan newspaper noted in its current issue that 'in the JCPOA saga, Shamkhani became a serious critic of the agreement process and its damages, and beyond that, played a significant role in coordinating the three branches for the final approval of the Parliament's counteraction law.' It is worth mentioning that after Ali Shamkhani's resignation from the National Security Council secretary position, Ali Khamenei appointed him as his political advisor. A few weeks ago, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency expressed concern over the reduced transparency of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program after the removal of cameras and monitoring equipment by the country's officials. Bloomberg reported on Friday, May 12, based on a version of a report by Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, distributed among agency diplomats, that 'the International Atomic Energy Agency is concerned about the reduction of oversight over the Islamic Republic's nuclear activities in 2022 and after Iran halted the monitoring mechanisms agreed upon in the JCPOA, as the number of verifications has decreased by ten percent.' In this context, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States Armed Forces also stated on May 11 during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee meeting that Washington remains committed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. According to General Mark Milley, the leaders of the Islamic Republic 'continue to enhance their capability to produce nuclear weapons.' Ali Vaez: The suppression of the 'Mahsa Movement' and Iran's assistance to Russia have led the West to close the door to negotiations with Tehran. Ali Vaez: The current situation of 'neither agreement nor crisis' in Iran's nuclear program is unsustainable. Special program: The fate of the JCPOA; continuation of diplomacy, trigger mechanism, or military action? Continuing the interpretation of 'heroic flexibility'; a former parliament member says the JCPOA file will be archived. A commander of the IRGC replaced Shamkhani in the Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic. The uncertainty of the JCPOA on the anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from this agreement; Jalili: Repeating the JCPOA means repeating a bitter experience. An analytical report by Reuters: Iran's nuclear crisis is at risk of 'flaring up again.'