Iraqchi: The United States has violated three clauses of the JCPOA

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister says that the United States has violated three clauses of the JCPOA text and its 'spirit', and from the perspective of the Islamic Republic, there is 'no possibility' for renegotiating this agreement or 'adding supplements and amendments' to it. According to a report on Saturday (October 21) by Fars News Agency, Abbas Iraqchi, the Deputy for Legal and International Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, made these remarks during a specialized panel on the JCPOA at the Non-Proliferation Conference in Moscow. Mr. Iraqchi added that the International Atomic Energy Agency has 'consistently' confirmed Iran's compliance with the JCPOA, but the U.S. has 'explicitly violated the spirit and text of the JCPOA in multiple instances.' He cited that 'the biggest violation of the JCPOA relates to that country's non-compliance with clauses 26, 28, and 29 of the JCPOA.' According to this Iranian Foreign Ministry official, based on these clauses, the U.S. 'committed to implementing the JCPOA in good faith and in a constructive atmosphere and to refrain from any action that undermines Iran's interests from the lifting of sanctions.' Iraqchi added that while this country is 'especially obliged to adhere to these principles in the public statements of its officials,' it 'has not acted accordingly so far.' He described 'all' of Donald Trump's speeches against the JCPOA, including his speech at the General Assembly in front of hundreds of leaders and officials of UN member states, as 'a clear violation of the provisions of the JCPOA.' According to the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, 'these violations have created an atmosphere of ambiguity and uncertainty regarding the JCPOA and have caused global economic communities to hesitate in cooperating with Iran.' Iraqchi labeled 'the continuation of such a destructive atmosphere surrounding Iran and the JCPOA, which has led to a decrease in Iran's benefits from this agreement,' as 'unacceptable' and stated that this issue 'will undoubtedly have its consequences.' He further criticized what he called the 'excessive demands' of the U.S. and added: 'I clearly and explicitly state that there is no possibility for renegotiating the JCPOA or adding supplements and amendments to it.' His remarks follow Trump's announcement of a new strategy towards Iran, in which he accused Tehran for the umpteenth time of violating the 'spirit' of the JCPOA due to its ballistic missile tests and 'destabilizing' actions in the region, adding that this nuclear agreement has not benefited the U.S. and has only benefited Iran. In this context, the Associated Press reported that it has seen a draft proposal designed to impose restrictions on Tehran in the U.S. Congress. According to this news agency, if this draft becomes law, it would not in itself violate the nuclear agreement of the six world powers and Iran, but would pursue parallel actions that might ultimately bring this agreement to the brink of collapse. Iraqchi's criticism of the U.S. regarding the creation of a doubtful atmosphere about the future of the JCPOA and hindering global economic cooperation with Tehran comes as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced yesterday that Mr. Trump does not intend to interfere in trade matters between Europe and Iran. Reports indicate that despite the commencement of trade relations for many European companies with Iran following the nuclear agreement with the West, efforts to rebuild old trade relations with Iran have not been initiated by all countries and business entities.