Iran's Foreign Ministry: US Extension of Sanctions Violates JCPOA

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has described the 10-year extension of sanctions against Iran by the US Congress as "contrary" to the nuclear agreement. Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for the ministry, stated on Friday, December 3, that "the US government is responsible for fulfilling its international obligations, and political developments within the US and the interactions between its legislative and executive branches cannot justify negligence or refusal to fulfill its international commitments." The US Senate voted on Thursday evening, December 2, with 99 votes in favor and without a single opposing vote, to extend the sanctions against Iran for another 10 years. Previously, the US House of Representatives had also approved this measure with 419 votes in favor and only one against. Thus, it is clear that both the Democratic and Republican parties in the US agree on extending sanctions against Iran. The Iran sanctions law is now only awaiting the signature of the US President to be enacted. Earlier, the Supreme Leader and the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic had separately described the extension of sanctions against Iran as a "violation" of the JCPOA or nuclear agreement. Ali Khamenei stated that if this law "is enacted and operational, it is definitely a violation of the JCPOA, and they should know that the Islamic Republic of Iran will certainly respond to it." Hooshang Amir-Ahmadi, a university professor and head of the Iranian-American Council, told Radio Farda that this law was enacted during the Clinton administration and at that time there was no discussion about Iran's nuclear program... renewing this law does not violate the JCPOA and has nothing to do with the secondary sanctions related to the nuclear program that the US has lifted." Mohammad Javad Zarif also mentioned in the Iranian Parliament in June that the Iranian government had "warned" the US government that extending sanctions is "inconsistent with the JCPOA." Now, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry has stated that Barack Obama, the US President, "has accepted in the JCPOA that he will use all his powers to prevent the legal and operational implementation of provisions contrary to the JCPOA, including the recent Congress resolution." However, reports indicate that the US President is also expected to sign this measure. Reuters reported, citing "Democrats in favor of the JCPOA," that the extension of the sanctions law is "not a violation of the JCPOA" but rather a continuation of sanctions that have been in place for years. The current Iranian sanctions law will expire on January 1. This law was enacted in 1996 during Bill Clinton's presidency and prohibits investments over $20 million in Iranian industries, especially in the energy sector. The US Congress had previously voted in 2006 to extend these sanctions for another 10 years, and with the recent vote, Congress has extended this law until 2026. In response to the developments in Iran, Mohammad Reza Tabesh, a leader of the reformist faction in Parliament, stated that 145 representatives have prepared a "double-urgency plan to counter the extension of sanctions." According to Mr. Tabesh, this plan prohibits the purchase of American consumer goods in Iran. Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, the spokesperson for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Parliament, also told the Tasnim news agency that "Iran has designed operational packages in response to the violation of the JCPOA, which will be implemented in due time." Behrouz Nemati, spokesperson for the Parliament's presiding board, also stated that the Islamic Consultative Assembly "will respond decisively to the US's imperialist policies using its tools." In this context, Salehi: In the event of a violation of the JCPOA, we can reach significant enrichment within a year and a half. The dollar has crossed the 3930 tomans mark. The White House: After the Senate's approval, Obama will decide on signing the "Iran Sanctions Law."