German Foreign Ministry: Forces Inside Iran Are Seeking to Undermine the JCPOA

In a rare statement from a foreign official, the spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry said on Friday, July 8, that 'some forces within Iran' will not miss any opportunity to undermine the nuclear agreement. The German domestic intelligence agency accused Iran of intensifying its efforts to acquire nuclear and missile technology following the nuclear deal with the West, known as the JCPOA. According to the British newspaper Financial Times, this security agency, officially titled the 'Office for the Protection of the Constitution,' stated in its annual report that Iran engaged in significant illegal activities in Germany in 2015 to gain access to nuclear technology. Reuters also referenced another report from the security agency of North Rhine-Westphalia, which recorded '141 cases' of attempts to acquire nuclear technology last year, with two-thirds of these cases linked to Iran. The spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry commented on these reports without naming any specific Iranian officials or organizations, stating that 'some forces' in Tehran are trying to undermine the Islamic Republic's nuclear agreement with the West and make it 'unstable.' According to Martin Schaefer, the spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, the illegal activities and attempts to acquire nuclear technology are likely attributed to forces within Iran who do not agree with the nuclear deal signed last year. This senior German official's reference may point to commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who have emerged as the most serious critics of the nuclear agreement with global powers over the past year, repeatedly criticizing it and deeming the JCPOA devoid of any benefits for Iran. Schaefer stated that the policies of Hassan Rouhani and Mohammad Javad Zarif aimed at improving relations between the Islamic Republic and Western countries are 'a thorn in the side of these forces.' The spokesperson also emphasized that Germany has 'great faith' in the President and Foreign Minister of Iran and believes that Tehran will do everything in its power to implement the JCPOA. Under the nuclear agreement signed in the summer of 2015, Iran committed to limit its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of Western sanctions. Since then, there has been no report indicating that Iran has violated its commitments. The International Atomic Energy Agency has also confirmed that Iran has fulfilled its initial commitments. However, Iran claims it has not yet been able to benefit economically from the nuclear agreement and blames the United States for this. This point has been criticized by Ayatollah Khamenei and his supporters, cited as an example of American betrayal and the results of negotiations and agreements with the West.