Iraqchi: The U.S. Remains Committed to Its Obligations Regarding the JCPOA

Abbas Araqchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, stated on Tuesday after the conclusion of the Joint Commission meeting of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in Vienna that the U.S. side has indicated it will remain committed to its obligations under the JCPOA until the results of the review of the agreement by the Trump administration are announced. The first meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission during Donald Trump's presidency took place on Tuesday, April 24. Araqchi mentioned that the U.S. representative officially stated that they are currently reviewing the JCPOA but will still adhere to their commitments during this review. In response to a question about his assessment of the U.S. position, he said, "The Joint Commission meeting was very good, and the emphasis by all participants on fulfilling their commitments was an important message." Previously, Donald Trump accused Iran on April 20 of not acting in accordance with the spirit of the nuclear agreement. The U.S. President stated that "we will review the JCPOA very carefully," adding that it was a very bad agreement that should not have been signed and that negotiations should not have been conducted in that manner to reach this agreement. In this context, Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, spoke of a "complete review" of the Vienna nuclear agreement, but Iranian officials have emphasized 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. According to the JCPOA, which was agreed upon in July 2015 between Iran and six world powers, Iran halted many of its nuclear activities, and international nuclear sanctions against it were suspended or lifted. After the implementation of the nuclear agreement, it was announced that a Joint Commission composed of Iran and the 1+5 countries, led and coordinated by the EU's foreign policy chief, would continue to "monitor and oversee the full and effective implementation of the JCPOA." The Joint Commission meetings are held every three months. Meanwhile, Araqchi stated that negotiations in the Joint Commission regarding the purchase of yellowcake from Kazakhstan have not yielded results. According to Itar-Tass, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister said that the parties present at the meeting on Tuesday could not reach an agreement on the issue of purchasing yellowcake. Araqchi mentioned that Iran seeks to buy 950 tons of yellowcake from Kazakhstan over a three-year period. Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, had previously stated that Britain's opposition to Iran's request to purchase 950 tons of yellowcake from Kazakhstan would likely be raised at the Joint Commission meeting on April 24. Earlier, Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, had reported that the Islamic Republic had referred its request to purchase 950 tons of yellowcake from Kazakhstan to the secretariat of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA, and the implementation of this agreement was only awaiting Britain's approval.