Chairman of the Parliamentary Nuclear Committee Calls JCPOA a 'Deformed Baby'

Mojtaba Zolnour, the chairman of the Parliamentary Nuclear Committee, reacted to Hassan Rouhani's remarks during his registration for the presidential election and his defense of the nuclear agreement, calling it a 'deformed hybrid baby' and the product of a 'temporary marriage'. Rouhani stated on Friday that 'the co-wives of the JCPOA who decided to kill this child cannot be good guardians for it,' but Zolnour criticized this statement, claiming it was Rouhani's mistake not to have obtained 'any guarantees' from the United States for the 'continuation of this baby's life'. In an interview with the Fars news agency, Zolnour expressed: 'Unfortunately, the only ones who have threatened your dear baby, the JCPOA, with death are the father of this baby, Mr. Obama, with the extension and imposition of new sanctions, and its cruel stepfather, Mr. Trump.' Donald Trump had promised during his election campaign that he would tear up the nuclear agreement with Iran if he won the presidency. However, later officials from the Trump administration moderated this promise, assuring that Washington currently has no such intention but is closely monitoring Iran's compliance with its commitments. The nuclear agreement has also faced opposition from factions of conservatives in Iran who accuse Rouhani's government of making excessive concessions to the West, including Zolnour, who metaphorically stated that Rouhani, for the sake of his 'beloved child, the JCPOA, has sold the dignity and achievements of several years of his tribe, clan, and family for a one-sided love for the son-in-law and accepted their heavy conditions.' He further stated: 'The main problem is that unfortunately this deformed hybrid baby is the product of a temporary marriage that the cruel stepfather, Mr. Trump, refuses to accept, constantly threatening them with death or putting them in a situation of gradual death.' These statements come as Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, also defended the nuclear agreement again on Saturday, stating that due to nuclear sanctions, 'billions of dollars have been lost by opportunistic and notorious brokers' and now we must not allow the factors creating this 'disorder' to make the achievements of the Vienna nuclear agreement 'seem inappropriate.'