Iran's Foreign Ministry: We are prepared for any situation if U.S. commitments are not fulfilled

On the day the U.S. Congress's deadline for deciding on the JCPOA expires, the spokesperson for the Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry announced that if U.S. commitments are not "fulfilled," Tehran is "fully prepared for any situation." Following Donald Trump's re-approval of Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA on October 22, Congress had a 60-day deadline to decide whether to remain committed to the agreement or to re-impose sanctions on Iran. This deadline ends on Wednesday, December 13, with reports indicating that Congress plans to "suspend this deadline," leaving the agreement unchanged at least temporarily. However, by passing this deadline, Congress effectively hands the decision-making on this matter over to the White House and the President of the United States. According to Reuters, Mr. Trump now has until mid-January of the coming year, approximately one month, to decide whether he still wishes to lift sanctions on Iran's energy sector or wants to reinstate them. It seems that in reaction to the ball being back in Mr. Trump's court, the Iranian Foreign Ministry issued the aforementioned warning on Wednesday. Senior officials in the Trump administration, including Trump himself, have repeatedly indicated that Iran's insistence on ballistic missile tests is, in fact, not in line with the "spirit of the JCPOA," a claim that Iranian officials reject. Trump has been a staunch opponent of the agreement with Iran since before he took office, consistently describing it as the "worst" deal possible. According to Fars News Agency, citing state television, Bahram Qasemi, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, emphasized on Wednesday that "what matters to us is the U.S. government's adherence to the JCPOA." He also stated, "If U.S. commitments are not fulfilled and the country's obstruction and dishonesty continue, we are fully prepared for any situation and have developed appropriate plans and scenarios." He did not provide details about these "plans and scenarios." In this context, on Wednesday, Abbas Araqchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, also warned that "a unilateral withdrawal from this agreement is contrary to the principle of goodwill and a constructive atmosphere." Mr. Araqchi is heading a delegation to participate in the 10th Joint Commission of the JCPOA, which begins on Wednesday in Vienna, Austria. According to ISNA, in addition to Abbas Araqchi and Helga Schmid, the Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service, who chairs the commission, the deputies and political directors of the six countries of the 1+5 group are present in this commission. Tehran signed the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA with the 1+5 group in July 2015, of which the United States is only one member; the other members are France, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, and Russia. Iran relies primarily on the support of the members of this group to resist any unilateral action by the Trump administration, which has recently referred to the JCPOA as a multilateral agreement and has repeatedly defended it.