Baidinejad: US Actions Are Not at a Point to Be Considered a Violation of the JCPOA

While some officials of the Islamic Republic have considered the travel restriction to the United States, the possibility of new sanctions against Iran, and the potential confiscation of the Central Bank of Iran's assets in New York as 'violations' of the Vienna nuclear agreement, the Director General of Political Affairs at the Foreign Ministry says these actions 'are not at a point to be considered a violation of the JCPOA.' According to ISNA news agency, Hamid Baidinejad said on Saturday, January 1, regarding the possibility of new US sanctions against Iran, that if the Islamic Republic concludes that US actions violate the Vienna nuclear agreement, 'it will take reciprocal action.' This member of Iran's nuclear negotiation team also added, 'We are not at the point where we can definitively say these actions are evidence of a violation of the JCPOA or that the US has violated its commitments.' Following recent missile tests in Iran, the US government announced last Wednesday to Congress that it would impose new sanctions on individuals and entities related to Iran's missile program. The publication of these reports prompted a reaction from Iranian officials, and President Hassan Rouhani, in a letter to the Minister of Defense, called for the development of the program to 'produce various types of missiles' with 'greater speed and seriousness.' However, subsequent reports indicated that senior officials in the Obama administration had told Congress members that these sanctions had been postponed due to ongoing negotiations regarding the nuclear agreement. This was met with criticism from some members of Congress. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a letter to the President on October 21, emphasized that 'any imposition of sanctions at any level and for any reason' by negotiating countries 'will be considered a violation' of the nuclear agreement, and the government is obliged to halt the implementation of this agreement. Nonetheless, he has repeatedly emphasized that negotiations with the US will only be about Iran's nuclear file and that the two countries will not negotiate about bilateral relations or regional issues. Now, Mr. Baidinejad has commented on the potential confiscation of the Central Bank's assets in the US to pay compensation to victims of terrorist incidents, stating that the Vienna nuclear agreement is only about Iran's nuclear file and 'we did not expect that with this understanding all of America's hostile policies would end.' He stated that this US action 'is not at a point to be considered a violation of the JCPOA,' adding, 'We are not facing a severe action, and this decision is currently being discussed at the Supreme Court of the United States; at the same time, the monitoring body of the JCPOA is closely following developments.' The Director General of Political Affairs at the Foreign Ministry also referred to the US Secretary of State's letter regarding the travel restriction law to the US, stating that the Islamic Republic is waiting to see how this law will be implemented. A member of Iran's nuclear negotiation team also stated that 'our utmost effort is to reach the implementation date of the JCPOA by the end of January.' Regarding the recent US Congress resolution, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, previously stated that if this resolution is implemented 'as is,' it will 'definitely' violate the Vienna nuclear agreement, but if the US government uses its resources as promised in the Secretary of State's letter, it will not prevent the implementation of the JCPOA. Meanwhile, eight members of the Iranian Parliament, including Ahmad Tavakoli, Elias Naderan, and Ismail Kowsari, have written a letter to Hassan Rouhani requesting an official position from the government regarding the travel restriction resolution to the US and the withdrawal from 'the blocked account of the Iranian government.' In the 2016 US federal budget, one billion dollars from the nine billion dollar fine of BNP Paribas for violating sanctions against Iran, Sudan, and Cuba is allocated to compensate victims of terrorism, but potentially more assets and properties may be considered for future claims. One of the mentioned sources for adding to the fund is the blocked assets of the Central Bank of Iran, which is disputed in the Peterson case. In this context, criticism from Congress members regarding the delay in imposing new sanctions against Iran continues.