Hassan Rouhani: The U.S. Will One Day Return to the Nuclear Agreement with Iran

The President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, attended a press conference in New York on Wednesday, October 4, stating that the U.S. made a "mistake" by withdrawing from the JCPOA and will one day return to this agreement. He noted the difference between this year's UN meeting and last year's was the U.S. exit from the nuclear deal, which he called "illegal," adding, "The overwhelming majority of world leaders supported the JCPOA as a diplomatic tool, which means the U.S. is isolated." According to him, "The U.S. exit from the JCPOA is not approved by the world and, except for a few countries, everyone sees it as a political mistake." In response to a question about whether Tehran would reduce its ballistic missile program if the U.S. respected the JCPOA, he said, "There is nothing about missiles in the nuclear agreement. It was clear from the beginning what we were discussing. If someone wants to violate their commitments, they can do so without making excuses. The nuclear agreement is very clear. Resolution 2231 is very clear." Rouhani emphasized, "The U.S. has made a mistake, and it will either return to the right path or continue its mistake. The U.S. will return one day, sooner or later; it cannot continue this way, which is not in the interest of the American people. What the U.S. government is doing is not in the interest of the Iranian people, the American people, the European people, or others." He stated that there is no sanction that the U.S. wants to impose that it hasn't already done. There is nothing new for November. This is a propaganda and psychological discussion; the U.S. wants to exert pressure for banking relations. This November talk is purely promotional. Regarding the implementation of new sanctions against Iran from November and the EU's non-compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA, he stated, "There is no sanction that the U.S. wants to impose later; they have already done everything. Some people in the U.S. who claim to be pursuing sanctions against Iran were overactive. The sanctions that were supposed to be implemented in November were carried out in September. Therefore, there is nothing new for November, and this is completely a propaganda and psychological discussion." The Iranian President called U.S. sanctions "illegal and against the Security Council resolution" and said, "It is the duty of countries to bring this U.S. action to failure." Rouhani stated, "We have remained in the JCPOA for now and have fulfilled our commitments. As long as our interests are met, we will remain in the JCPOA, and if we see that our interests are not met, mechanisms are provided in the JCPOA." In response to a question about Nazanin Zaghari's situation, he said the Iranian government is trying to help, but she is under the authority of another body, the judiciary. As the head of the executive branch, he will try to assist, and they have provided consular access. Some of these individuals have recently been granted leave. When asked about dual nationals and the harassment of BBC Persian staff, Rouhani said being a dual national is not a crime, but they do not accept dual nationality. An individual may be arrested, but it has nothing to do with being a dual national. Rouhani refused to comment on reports regarding the pressure of Iranian security agencies on the families of BBC Persian staff. In another part of his speech, he said, "We do not intend to go to war with American forces anywhere in the region, nor do we want to attack American forces and escalate tensions with the U.S. But we ask the U.S. to adhere to the law and respect the national sovereignty of countries." In response to another journalist's question about the sharp rise in foreign currency rates in Iran, he said, "The currency that some people buy and sell for specific purposes cannot be a measure of Iran's economy; the total currency traded informally is about one percent of Iran's economy and even less than one percent. People's lives are not dependent on it." Since the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement with Iran, the exchange rate of various foreign currencies has sharply increased, with the dollar currently reaching 19,000 tomans, compared to 3,800 tomans last October. This increase has affected the prices of essential goods in Iran, especially food prices, which are rising daily.