Ali Larijani's Remarks on the 'Possibility of Iran Exiting' the JCPOA

Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, who traveled to Russia, stated upon his arrival at St. Petersburg airport on Friday, October 13, that if the United States withdraws from the JCPOA, Iran may also exit this agreement. According to the Russian news agency TASS, in response to reporters' questions about whether Iran would also exit the nuclear deal if the United States did, he said, 'Certainly, this is one of the possibilities.' Donald Trump, the President of the United States, is expected to announce the U.S. strategy regarding the nuclear agreement with Iran and six world powers on Friday evening, addressing Iran's compliance or non-compliance with its commitments under this agreement. According to a law passed by the U.S. Congress, the U.S. government must report every 90 days to lawmakers on Iran's compliance with the JCPOA. Reporters also asked Larijani about this matter on Friday in St. Petersburg, to which he replied, 'These statements greatly damage the credibility of the Americans.' The Speaker continued, 'You saw that European officials and other countries condemned this behavior; moreover, it creates a good opportunity for Iran to shape other developments.' He added, 'The raising of these issues by Mr. Trump is not very strange since during his time in office, he has made many odd statements, but it is not very significant.' He concluded, 'In this process, we monitor the issues carefully and will make decisions that align with the interests of the nation, but we do not think the anxiety that various media sometimes stir up is based on a very sound foundation.' If the U.S. government does not confirm Iran's compliance with the JCPOA in a report to lawmakers, Congress will have 60 days to decide on sanctions against Iran. Larijani also criticized what he called the 'common and temporary behaviors' of American politicians. According to ISNA news agency, in response to a question about the issue of the U.S. President not confirming Iran's compliance with the JCPOA, he said, 'We do not like these common and temporary behaviors that unfortunately political figures in America have fallen into, and we see no reason to entangle ourselves in their web.' Larijani has previously directed harsh criticisms at American officials, stating that 'American officials have regressed' and 'Americans are devoid of rationality.' While Larijani speaks of 'common behaviors' of American politicians and their 'unacceptability' in Iran, Iranian officials have repeatedly mentioned the prevalence of unconventional behaviors among Iranian political figures. In this context, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, recently criticized 'childish quarrels in the country' and previously condemned the 'prevalence of accusations and insults' and 'narrow-mindedness' in Iran's political atmosphere, stating, 'Look at what is happening in society.' Ali Jannati, the Minister of Culture in Iran, also previously criticized the widespread 'lying, breach of trust, backbiting, and unfounded accusations' in Iranian society, stating that 'even our elites, who run the media, easily make unfounded and false accusations against those they oppose or have enmity with.' The purpose of Larijani's trip to Russia is to attend the 137th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and, according to him, to address issues such as 'security cooperation' and the topic of 'separatism, both in Europe and in the Asia region.' The Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly also told reporters about the goals of his trip, stating, 'Given that the regional conditions and international situation are experiencing disruptions at various levels, political consultations and dialogues that can create a secure environment for the world is an important issue that has attracted the attention of politicians.'