Iraqi: All Obstacles to Implementing the JCPOA Have Been Removed

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, stated on the anniversary of the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement that all existing obstacles to the agreement's execution have been removed, and three key areas—energy, transportation, and banking—have returned to normal. In a press conference on Sunday, January 26, Araghchi noted that the implementation of this agreement over the past year has faced 'breaches of trust,' 'delays,' 'obstacles,' and 'delaying policies' from the U.S. and some other countries. He also mentioned that this situation was 'expected' and that Iran has 'overcome the breaches of trust' over the past year, with 'obstacles to the country's economy removed.' He emphasized that 'today, there is no institution or agency in the country that reports any obstacle to the implementation of the JCPOA that should be removed by the JCPOA but has not been removed.' The head of the JCPOA implementation office in Iran declared that the three key areas of energy, transportation, and banking have 'returned to normal.' He stressed that the issues with Iran's banking system for cooperation with foreign banks have 'multiple reasons, none of which relate to the JCPOA,' with some stemming from initial U.S. sanctions. On October 16, Araghchi had also stated that the problems faced by Iranian banks and insurance companies for economic cooperation with foreign countries have been 'resolved,' and there is 'no deadlock' in this regard, although there are issues partly related to foreign countries and partly due to the outdated nature of Iranian banks. However, on the same day, Valiollah Seif, the head of Iran's Central Bank, stated 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.' Seif also mentioned that after the Vienna nuclear agreement, a 'relatively appropriate' relationship has been established between Iranian banks and foreign banks, and this level of banking connections 'partially resolves' Iran's foreign trade issues. Some critics of the Vienna nuclear agreement, including Hossein Shariatmadari, the representative of the Supreme Leader in the Kayhan newspaper, also claim that 'none' of the Western sanctions against Iran have been lifted since the Vienna nuclear agreement. Iranian officials have repeatedly accused the U.S. of 'breaching' the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, including 'disrupting' foreign banks' cooperation with Iran. The U.S. Secretary of State and his counterparts from Britain, Germany, and France, along with the EU's foreign policy chief, on May 30, issued a statement urging banks and traders not to overlook legal investment opportunities in Iran. These countries have also expressed their readiness to address doubts regarding this matter. Despite this statement, Iranian officials have repeatedly emphasized that sanctions against Iran have been lifted on paper, but European countries need to make 'greater efforts' to eliminate the 'existing psychological atmosphere, especially regarding banking interactions.' Araghchi also announced that from Tehran's perspective, the Vienna nuclear agreement is 'finished,' and Iran will not engage in new political negotiations with the U.S. government regarding this agreement. He stated, 'We will not renegotiate the JCPOA, and if someone decides to tear it up, the choice is theirs; our reaction to this action is clear. We will also burn it, and this means there will be no renegotiation, and Iran's nuclear file will not be reopened.' Previously, some Iranian Foreign Ministry officials had rejected any revision of the JCPOA, stating that the U.S. cannot review this international agreement. These remarks were a reaction to comments made by Rex Tillerson, Donald Trump's proposed Secretary of State, who stated that he would conduct a complete review of the Iran nuclear agreement. Two days after these remarks, Samantha Power, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, stated that the Vienna nuclear agreement was effective and that it is wise for Donald Trump, the U.S. President-elect, to adhere to it. In this interview, Araghchi also mentioned that the members of the P5+1 group agree that the 'implementation' (not the approval) of the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) violates the Vienna nuclear agreement, but there is 'no consensus' on whether the extension of this law constitutes a violation of this agreement. He emphasized that all members of the P5+1 do not consider the 'approval' of the ISA extension to be a violation of the JCPOA. He added, 'The U.S. claims this action is not a violation of the JCPOA, but others consider it a violation. The U.S. claims it will not implement this law, and even if it is extended, it will not be enforced, just as John Kerry issued an order to nullify it.' After the recent Joint Commission meeting of the JCPOA, Araghchi stated that the members of this commission took Iran's concerns about the implementation of the ISA by the U.S. very seriously. The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister also reported that Iran has not referred the issue to the JCPOA dispute resolution commission. Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization, also reported that in the Joint Commission meeting, U.S. officials assured the commission members that 'there will definitely be no practical effects from the ISA extension.' The 'Iran Sanctions Act' or ISA was extended for another 10 years last month without the signature of the U.S. President. Iranian officials initially stated that this action amounted to a 'violation' of the JCPOA. Meanwhile, in the early days of January, the publication of the Iranian Foreign Minister's remarks about this law in a National Security and Foreign Policy Commission meeting caused a stir, as Javad Karimi Qodousi reported that Mohammad Javad Zarif stated that initially, the ISA (Iran Sanctions) law was supposed to be included in the JCPOA text, but the Americans said that mentioning this law in the JCPOA text would bring Congress into the picture and would require a vote from Congress on the JCPOA. According to Zarif's statements, John Kerry verbally agreed that extending the Iran sanctions law would violate the JCPOA, but the U.S. team said it could not be included in the text because it would involve Congress. He elaborated on phone calls with Kerry and meetings between officials of the two countries, stating that the U.S. government did not expect Donald Trump to win and was therefore confident it could prevent the implementation of the sanctions. Zarif further stated that for this reason, he, as an official Iranian representative, should not publicly position himself regarding the violation of the JCPOA before the U.S. government could prevent Congress from approving the sanctions and should keep congressional actions separate from the JCPOA. He also mentioned, 'In a letter I wrote to Ms. Mogherini in September, I stated that this should not happen, and I also wrote to the United Nations that the laws that expire and their extension violate the JCPOA. While it is not in the JCPOA text, this is our interpretation.' In other words, Zarif implicitly states that according to the JCPOA text, extending sanctions is not a violation of the JCPOA, but an extraneous agreement was made regarding it.