Iraqi: The JCPOA is in ICU

Abbas Araghchi, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran, pointed out that the balance of the JCPOA has been disrupted with the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement and has been transferred to the "intensive care unit," indicating a potential end to the JCPOA in the near future. Araghchi, who heads the "JCPOA Follow-up Committee," stated on Thursday, June 21, after a speech at a conference in Brussels, that Iran's continued participation in the JCPOA is contingent upon the other five countries compensating for the absence of the U.S. in this agreement and standing against U.S. sanctions. Donald Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement with Iran on May 8, stating that the JCPOA did not prevent the development of the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile program or its "support for terrorism in the region." However, the other five countries have stated that they will remain in the nuclear agreement as long as Iran adheres to its commitments under the JCPOA, and negotiations are ongoing between Iran and the three European countries to "save the JCPOA despite U.S. sanctions." In his interview with Euronews, Araghchi said, "If Europe and the other remaining members of the JCPOA are interested in keeping Iran in this agreement, they must compensate for the absence of the U.S. and reconsider U.S. sanctions." On May 8, just hours after Trump's televised speech about the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, Hassan Rouhani announced that he had instructed the Foreign Ministry to conduct consultations and negotiations with China, Russia, and the three European countries within a few weeks, so that "if at the end of this short deadline we conclude that we can achieve all that the Iranian people wanted through cooperation with the five countries, the JCPOA will remain sustainable." Araghchi mentioned that this "few-week deadline" has either "ended or will soon end," and according to him, "the current outlook is bleak." He stated that Iran's demand is to benefit from the achievements of the JCPOA, including transactions of European companies with Iran, the export of Iranian oil, and the return of its money without problems. The three European countries, including Germany, France, and the UK, while emphasizing their commitment to remaining in the JCPOA, have expressed concern about Iran's ballistic missile program and its actions in the region. In a recent statement, Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, said in the Jordanian capital on Thursday: "An immediate solution must be found for Iran's aggressive approach in the region." Theresa May, the British Prime Minister, also emphasized about two weeks ago in a meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister that London shares concerns with Israel about preventing Iran's "regional aggressions" and limiting the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile activities. Senior French officials have also spoken about the necessity of negotiating to reach a new agreement regarding Iran's missile activities and actions in the region. However, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, has stated that Europe "must guarantee" that these ongoing negotiations will not address the topics of missile programs and Iran's actions in the region. The "Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action" known as the JCPOA was an agreement that was finally signed on July 14, 2015, between Iran and six world powers after years of negotiations. Under this agreement, Iran committed to limit its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions and to accept full oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The Agency has confirmed Iran's compliance with the terms of the JCPOA in all its reports.