Criticism of the Implementation of the JCPOA: 'Iran is portrayed as a monster and the U.S. as a peach'

The report published by the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the implementation of the JCPOA has faced significant criticism from conservative media, with Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor-in-chief of Kayhan newspaper, stating that the report portrays 'Iran as a monster and the U.S. as a peach.' On Sunday, April 29, the report on the implementation of the JCPOA was released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Islamic Consultative Assembly and emphasized that in the past two months, approximately 1.3 billion euros from Iran's 'oil revenues' have been deposited into the Central Bank's account at EIH Bank (Iran and Europe Commercial Bank) and several other European banks. The report accused U.S. officials of 'making excuses, obstructing, and delaying' the lifting of sanctions on Iran, while also stating that the 'biggest problem and challenge' in executing the Vienna nuclear agreement and attracting investment in Iran is 'a trust-building and reassuring environment in the country for foreign parties.' Following the publication of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs report, some conservative media, including Fars News Agency, published reports and interviews criticizing the implementation of the JCPOA. In this context, Hossein Shariatmadari stated in an interview with Fars on the evening of Sunday, April 29, that 'the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its report to the parliament has portrayed Iran as a monster and the U.S. as a peach,' adding, 'Unfortunately, due to an unfounded trust in the U.S. during the drafting of the JCPOA, the necessary caution was not exercised, leaving the opponent's hand open for future abuses.' On the other hand, Ali-Mohammad Bozorgvari, a representative from Kohgiluyeh in parliament, stated on Tuesday, April 30, that 'the government's baseless optimism about the JCPOA is the main cause of the recession, and the government only makes general statements.' Mr. Bozorgvari also criticized the government for not presenting a clear truth about the JCPOA in parliament, emphasizing, 'They presented the same information they had given to the public on websites and social media in parliament as well.' According to the report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, approximately 'one billion euros from oil revenues have been deposited into the Central Bank's account at EIH Bank.' The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reported that during this period, 'about 300 million euros have been transferred to the central banks of Italy, Banca di San Marino, KBC Belgium, PMC Spain, and Hamburg's National Bank, and more than 2000 letters of credit have been opened.' The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced the reopening of Central Bank accounts with foreign banks, including in Italy, Austria, and the United Arab Emirates. According to this report, all Iranian banks 'except for a few that are under non-nuclear sanctions, have the ability to use SWIFT.' In recent years, due to Western sanctions, Iran has been unable to receive payments from its oil sales. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the increase in the country's crude oil sales to two million barrels, the reinstatement of export insurance to Iran, the renewed cooperation of 'at least 18 companies' with Iran in the shipping sector, and the provision of fuel to Iranian aircraft in 'most European capitals' as some practical results of the lifting of Western sanctions against Iran. The report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also referred to some of the challenges and obstacles facing the implementation of the JCPOA and the lifting of sanctions. In many areas, especially the banking sector, which has faced significant changes over the past ten years and has become complicated due to the fight against money laundering and preventing the exploitation of traffickers and terrorist groups. The report from the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that 'one of the challenges in lifting sanctions is the overlap of lifted and non-lifted sanctions, particularly the impact of U.S. primary sanctions on other sanctions; for example, the prohibition of using the U.S. financial system is a primary sanction, but currently, many financial interactions in the world, to some extent, deal with this system.' In another section of this report, it was emphasized that: 'In many areas, especially the banking sector, which has faced significant changes over the past ten years and has become complicated due to the fight against money laundering and preventing the exploitation of traffickers and terrorist groups, we are facing technical and executive problems that prolong the return to the pre-sanction point.' The report also mentioned that regarding the fight against money laundering: 'With the approval of the anti-money laundering bill in parliament and the Guardian Council, a positive movement has begun, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in conjunction with the Central Bank and the Ministry of Economy, has begun serious negotiations to align the country's banking system with these regulations.' In the report from the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, U.S. officials, particularly the U.S. Treasury, are accused of 'making excuses, obstructing, and delaying' the lifting of sanctions on Iran. According to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 'Despite the repeated statements of U.S. officials regarding America's commitment to fulfilling its obligations under the JCPOA, it seems that powerful sections or circles within the U.S. executive apparatus are not very willing to take proactive steps to clarify ambiguities and even in some cases neutralize efforts made to remove obstacles.' At the same time, it was stated that 'the biggest problem and challenge facing the JCPOA is a trust-building and reassuring environment in the country for foreign parties.' The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited 'the chaotic, investment-averse Middle East,' 'the doubtful atmosphere regarding the commitment of all parties to the JCPOA,' and other issues such as 'corruption, lack of transparency, money laundering, and the complexity of laws' as reasons for foreign companies' hesitance to engage in Iran. It was emphasized in the report that 'throughout the negotiations and afterward, the negotiating team has never doubted that they are negotiating in a hostile environment and have never trusted the other side and will not do so.' The report further stated that: 'In this context, the concern of financial institutions due to intimidation by the U.S. and the imposition of heavy multi-billion dollar fines on banks over the years has created a heavy psychological atmosphere for resuming cooperation with Iran, which can only be resolved through continuous effort and comprehensive and coordinated follow-up.' The report also mentioned 'the resolution of the military procurement case after 30 years' and the recovery of over 1.7 billion dollars in principal and interest on Iran's funds and 'successful negotiations with some countries regarding financing projects amounting to over 50 billion dollars' as other results of the lifting of Western sanctions. In recent days, Iranian officials have expressed differing views on the lifting of Western sanctions against Iran. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, on Tuesday, April 24, accused U.S. officials of not acting 'as they should' in fulfilling their commitments under the Vienna nuclear agreement and scaring other parties from cooperating with Iran with their statements and actions. Three days later, Valiollah Seif, the head of the Central Bank, stated that global powers have yet to fulfill their 'commitments' under the nuclear agreement and that Iran 'is still not connected to the global economy.' Seif emphasized that 'Iran must be allowed to use the U.S. financial system.' Meanwhile, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported to parliament that 'the prohibition of using the U.S. financial system is a primary sanction, but currently, many financial interactions in the world, to some extent, deal with this system.' The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reported that the centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear site have been reduced to 5060 units, the centrifuges at the Fordow nuclear site to 1044 units, Iran's uranium reserves to 300 kilograms, and the amount of heavy water reserves to 130 tons. The report from the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to parliament was sent based on a resolution by the Iranian parliament regarding the Vienna nuclear agreement. According to this resolution, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is required to report on the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement to the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the parliament every three months.