Iran and France Discuss JCPOA; Mogherini's Trip to the U.S. on Nuclear Agreement

Simultaneously with the phone conversation between the foreign ministers of Iran and France about the Vienna nuclear agreement, Hassan Rouhani announced on Tuesday that U.S. officials, due to what he called "global unified support for the JCPOA," would be "forced" to "retreat and reconsider" their policies. Meanwhile, the spokesperson for Hassan Rouhani's government also considered Federica Mogherini's trip to the U.S. as part of the differing positions between Europe and the U.S. regarding the JCPOA. According to Iranian news agencies, the foreign ministers of Iran and France discussed the JCPOA and regional issues on Tuesday afternoon, October 17, in their second phone call in recent days. The Iranian Foreign Ministry has not released details of this phone conversation. Meanwhile, the spokesperson for Hassan Rouhani's government stated that Iranian foreign ministry officials are implementing "effective measures" to defend national interests and, according to him, to further isolate the U.S. According to IRIB news agency, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht announced that the activities of the EU's foreign policy chief during her trip to the U.S. are "in line with the same differing positions of the EU compared to the U.S. positions." Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, announced on Monday that she would travel to Washington in the coming weeks to advocate for the nuclear agreement and encourage U.S. lawmakers not to withdraw from it. After a meeting of foreign ministers from the 28 EU member states in Luxembourg, she emphasized that there is no alternative to the Vienna nuclear agreement. Mogherini stated hours after the U.S. President's speech that the JCPOA is not a bilateral agreement and that although the U.S. President has extensive powers, undermining the JCPOA is not among those powers. Donald Trump's decision not to certify Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement gives the U.S. Congress a 60-day opportunity to decide on the potential reinstatement of sanctions against Iran, a decision that could jeopardize the future of the JCPOA. Following the announcement of this U.S. strategy, the leaders of Germany, France, and Britain, the three European countries involved in the nuclear negotiations, warned against actions that could harm the nuclear agreement, including the re-imposition of sanctions. Meanwhile, the Iranian President, referring to the positions of European countries, stated that "the people's hope on one side and the global unified support for the JCPOA and cooperation with Iran will force U.S. political officials to retreat and reconsider their policies." Hassan Rouhani also stated hours after the U.S. President's speech that if Iran's interests in the Vienna nuclear agreement are not met and the other side takes action regarding this agreement, the Islamic Republic "will not hesitate for a moment and will respond to it." The U.S. President, as part of his new strategy towards Iran, allowed the Treasury Department to add the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps to its list of sanctions. Official Iranian figures, including Hassan Rouhani and Mohammad Javad Zarif, and on Tuesday also Mohammad Khatami, the former President, have recently strongly supported the Revolutionary Guards despite the evident differences in recent years. The Trump administration has repeatedly emphasized in recent months that Iran has violated the "spirit" of the JCPOA by conducting missile tests and its actions in the Middle East, jeopardizing regional security. Tehran, on the other hand, accuses the U.S. of ignoring the "spirit" of the JCPOA and states that ballistic missile tests are "defensive" and will "continue." Meanwhile, Ali Akbar Velayati, the international advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, stated: "To say that we accept the JCPOA but must negotiate on regional issues and Iran's missile program is conditionalizing the JCPOA and is absolutely unacceptable to us." Velayati emphasized on Tuesday, during a meeting with the French special envoy for Syria, that "the JCPOA has no conditions and must continue as agreed between Iran and the 1+5." Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, also stated on Saturday evening, October 14, that Donald Trump's speech was due to what he called "turmoil" in the U.S. government because of the frequent changes of some officials and added that "unfortunately, the threats from some regional countries have also added to this turmoil." Salehi did not provide further details about the "threats from some regional countries." The new strategy of the Trump administration towards Iran has been welcomed by Israel and Saudi Arabia. Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia remain tense, and issues such as the Syrian civil war and recent battles in Yemen have exacerbated these tensions.