Iran's Foreign Ministry: Donald Trump's Statements Have Impacted the JCPOA Process

In its fourth quarterly report on the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, Iran's Foreign Ministry stated that the remarks of the new U.S. President have had a "psychological" impact on the "JCPOA process." The report, published on Tuesday, January 28, on the Iranian Foreign Ministry's website, noted that Donald Trump's slogans have caused "a kind of uncertainty and concern about the future of the JCPOA among some foreign companies," who are awaiting the "strategy of the new U.S. government." The ministry also stated that the Vienna nuclear agreement is an international agreement and that Iran refrains from "premature judgments" about the performance of the new U.S. President while being fully prepared for "any scenario and possibility." Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also reacted on Tuesday to the remarks of the U.S. President-elect, stating that "there is no meaning in renegotiating the nuclear deal and no negotiations regarding the JCPOA will take place." In recent days, several Iranian Foreign Ministry officials emphasized that, from Tehran's perspective, the Vienna nuclear agreement is "finished" and that Iran will not engage in new political negotiations with the U.S. government regarding this agreement. These statements were a response to comments made by Rex Tillerson, Donald Trump's proposed Secretary of State, who stated that the Iran nuclear agreement would undergo a complete review. On the anniversary of the implementation of the nuclear agreement with Iran, Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, emphasized the union's commitment to the nuclear deal. The Iranian Foreign Ministry's report also stated that "all extensive restrictions" resulting from sanctions have been lifted and that none of the executive bodies have reported any obstacles that the JCPOA was supposed to remove. The report accused the Western side, particularly the U.S., of creating obstacles in the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement over the past year through "negative atmospherics, breaches of commitment, negligence, and delay," but that all of these have been "countered," and one of the achievements of the Foreign Ministry in the past year has been addressing these "obstructions". The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced an increase in Iran's oil production to 3.95 million barrels, the purchase of new airplanes, the resolution of issues faced by the Islamic Republic's shipping companies, and new contracts with foreign countries as some of the results of the Vienna nuclear agreement over the past year. The report also mentioned the reconnection of Iranian banks to SWIFT, the release of about $10 billion of Iran's blocked assets in the UAE, Britain, India, Greece, Italy, and Norway, the reopening of accounts for Iran's central bank, and the central bank's control over its resources abroad. According to the Foreign Ministry, by January 25, more than 77,000 commercial services were provided in the form of opening over 61,000 foreign exchange remittances worth more than $12 billion, issuing 15,000 letters of credit worth over $14 billion, and providing over 1,400 documentary credit orders worth more than $3 billion to individuals and companies. The report also referenced cooperation from the EU, France, Russia, Switzerland, Japan, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary with Iran's nuclear program following the Vienna nuclear agreement. Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, also stated on January 26, the anniversary of the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, that all existing obstacles to the implementation of this agreement have been removed and that three key areas of energy, transportation, and banking have "returned to normal." The Iranian Foreign Ministry's report also identified U.S. primary sanctions, Financial Action Task Force restrictions, and Iranophobia as "non-JCPOA problems and obstacles." The Iranian Foreign Ministry labeled "Iranophobia" as a conspiracy by Israel and stated that some domestic media outlets are also strengthening the "Iranophobia project" by "injecting despair into society and portraying the country's conditions as unstable and insecure." In its second report on the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry had also pointed out internal obstacles to the implementation of this agreement, stating that "some brokers who have profited greatly from the conditions of sanctions" are using every opportunity to undermine and destroy the post-JCPOA conditions by utilizing and even exacerbating internal political atmospherics. Despite the official endorsement of the JCPOA by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, he and his close associates continue to criticize this agreement. The Iranian Foreign Ministry's report to the parliament was sent based on a parliamentary resolution regarding the Vienna nuclear agreement. According to this resolution, the Foreign Ministry is required to report the progress of the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement to the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the parliament every three months.