Head of Atomic Energy Organization: Iran Will Not Be the Initiator of JCPOA Violation

In Tehran, reactions continue to the statements made by German officials and the UN Secretary-General regarding the Islamic Republic's missile program and the potential non-implementation of the JCPOA by Iran. On Saturday, Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Islamic Republic's Atomic Energy Organization, stated in an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting that the recent comments by Angela Merkel and Ban Ki-moon reflect a 'new conspiracy against Iran' and expressed his feeling that they are preparing and cooking against the Islamic Republic and that vigilance is necessary. Mr. Salehi asserted that Iran considers itself committed to the JCPOA and will not be the initiator of its violation. The German domestic intelligence agency, in a report that was reflected in the media on Thursday, July 7, accused Iran of intensifying its efforts to acquire nuclear and missile technology following the nuclear agreement with the West. Martin Schaefer, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in Berlin, also stated on Friday that 'illegal activities and efforts to acquire more nuclear technology are likely attributed to forces within Iran that oppose the nuclear agreement.' In response to these reports, Mr. Salehi said that due to the existence of a legitimate procurement channel in the JCPOA, Iran does not need to procure its necessary equipment from the black market. Aladdin Boroujerdi, the head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also described the German Chancellor's remarks as 'a sign of a new conspiracy against the Iranian nation and anti-Iranian' and stated that Ms. Merkel's comments regarding Iran's missile capabilities are untechnical, completely political, and unacceptable. On Thursday, Angela Merkel, in a government statement on the occasion of the NATO summit in Warsaw, dismissed Russia's criticisms and concerns about the deployment of NATO missile defense as incorrect and justified the establishment of a missile shield in Southern Europe partly by the threat of potential missile attacks from Iran. Ms. Merkel stated, 'Iran is clearly pursuing its missile program in contradiction to the decisions and regulations of the UN Security Council, and the historic Vienna agreement to curb Iran's nuclear program has not changed this policy.' On the other hand, Reuters reported on Thursday that it had access to a confidential report from the UN Secretary-General in which Ban Ki-moon stated that Iran's ballistic missile tests, in his view, are not in line with the constructive spirit of the nuclear agreement between Tehran and global powers. Mehdi Mahdavi Azad, a journalist and political analyst in Germany, commented on the reason for the mention of the Islamic Republic's missile program by the UN Secretary-General and the German Chancellor to Radio Farda, saying, 'These statements are ultimately a reaction to the unilateral activities of the military in the Islamic Republic, which openly display their opposition to the nuclear agreement and interaction with the outside world.' According to ISNA, a Foreign Ministry official of the Islamic Republic reacted to the statements attributed to the UN Secretary-General, calling Mr. Ban Ki-moon 'unaware of the nuances of the nuclear agreement and its details' and urged him not to undermine a historic agreement with what this official termed 'irresponsible and irrelevant comments.'