Iran's Foreign Ministry Expresses Doubts About America's 'Seriousness' in Fully Implementing the JCPOA

Iran's Foreign Ministry, in its fifth report on the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, stated that the positions of officials in Donald Trump's administration have created 'doubts about America's seriousness in fully and in good faith fulfilling its commitments' under this agreement. According to the state news agency IRNA, the report published on Sunday, April 15, indicated that the official stance of the new U.S. administration is to 'review and assess' the Vienna nuclear agreement, but they will adhere to their commitments during the evaluation period. The report also noted that 'the repetition of anti-JCPOA statements and positions' by U.S. officials has created 'doubts about this country’s seriousness in fully and in good faith fulfilling its commitments.' The Iranian Foreign Ministry emphasized that it has informed all countries in the 1+5 group that the Vienna nuclear agreement is not a bilateral agreement between Iran and the U.S., but a 'multilateral' document endorsed by the UN Security Council. On Tuesday, January 17, 2017, in its fourth quarterly report on the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that Donald Trump's remarks have caused 'a kind of uncertainty and concern about the future of the JCPOA among several foreign companies,' who are waiting for the 'strategy of the new U.S. administration.' Officials in Donald Trump's government, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, have spoken of a 'complete review' of the Vienna nuclear agreement, but Iranian officials have insisted that from Tehran's perspective, the Vienna nuclear agreement is 'finished' and Iran will not enter into new political negotiations with the U.S. regarding this agreement. Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, has also emphasized the Union's commitment to the nuclear agreement. Donald Trump, in April of this year, during a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, stated that no one knows why Barack Obama signed the nuclear agreement with Iran. The U.S. President has referred to the JCPOA as the 'worst' agreement he has ever seen and previously promised during his election campaign to withdraw from it. However, despite these positions, no specific action has been observed from the U.S. government to abandon this agreement. The Trump administration announced in March that it would issue a license for the sale of passenger planes to Iran. The Iranian Foreign Ministry's report also referred to 'non-JCPOA challenges and obstacles' in the path of implementing the Vienna nuclear agreement, including U.S. primary sanctions, non-nuclear sanctions and restrictions, Financial Action Task Force (FATF) limitations, and the 'Iranophobia' atmosphere. The report also identified individuals and entities, both domestic and foreign, that 'benefited from Western sanctions against Iran' as another 'non-JCPOA challenge and obstacle.' In its second report on the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry had previously stated that 'some brokers who have profited greatly from the conditions of sanctions' are 'taking every opportunity to undermine and destroy the post-JCPOA conditions, using and even exacerbating internal political atmospheres.' Previously, officials in Hassan Rouhani's government referred to some opponents of the Vienna nuclear agreement as 'sanction profiteers.' Despite the official endorsement of the JCPOA by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, he and his close associates continue to criticize this agreement. The Iranian Foreign Ministry's report also mentioned the effects of the lifting of Western sanctions, stating that since the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, the country's banking network has established 704 correspondent relationships with 249 banks worldwide. According to this report, during this period, over 99,000 letters of credit have been opened and more than 80,000 foreign exchange remittances have been issued, with the value of these commercial services exceeding $38 billion. The Iranian Foreign Ministry reported that in the last three months, $9.3 billion of Iran's blocked resources in other countries have been released, bringing the total released assets after the Vienna nuclear agreement to $25.7 billion. The report also highlighted other effects of the lifting of Western sanctions, including an increase in oil exports and the delivery of Airbus and Boeing aircraft to Iran. Abbas Araqchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, stated on January 16, 2017, the anniversary of the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, that all existing obstacles to the implementation of this agreement have been removed and the three key areas of energy, transportation, and banking have 'returned to normal.' However, Valiollah Seif, the head of Iran's Central Bank, stated on October 16, 2016, that the current conditions cannot be considered 'normalization of banking relations' and that 'the current situation is not satisfactory compared to the expectations that existed before the JCPOA.' Meanwhile, Ali Ahani, Iran's ambassador to France, stated last February that the 'caution and concern' of major French banks regarding potential U.S. sanctions is hindering the development of economic relations between the two countries. In the same month, the Royal Bank of Scotland announced that it had not accepted the pressures from the British government, which is the major shareholder of the bank, to encourage trading with Iran, as it still considers trading with that country to be risky. The report from the Iranian Foreign Ministry also referred to recent actions for the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, including 'the start of gas injection into IR-8 centrifuges,' 'the purchase of about 137 tons of yellowcake from Russia,' and 'the return of part of the 20% enriched uranium that had been deposited in Russia for use in the Tehran research reactor.' The report also stated that Iran and China signed a consultancy contract for the redesign of the Arak heavy water reactor in Beijing on April 12, and negotiations regarding the type of fuel for this reactor are ongoing with the Chinese side. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran announced on January 28, 2017, that it had begun testing the 'IR-8' centrifuges by injecting 'uranium hexafluoride' or 'UF6' as part of the 'framework of the Vienna nuclear agreement.' The suspension of enrichment at the Fordow site and its conversion into a research center, the international redesign of the Arak heavy water reactor, the reduction of uranium reserves, and regular monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency were also among the points agreed upon by the negotiating parties. The report from the Iranian Foreign Ministry to the parliament was sent based on a resolution from the Iranian parliament regarding the Vienna nuclear agreement. According to this resolution, the Foreign Ministry is required to report every three months on the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement to the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the parliament.