Iraqi: We Are Still Far from a Gross Violation of the JCPOA by the U.S.

Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, described the new sanctions imposed by the U.S. against Iran as a "violation" of three clauses of the Vienna nuclear agreement but stated that "we are still far from a gross and fundamental violation of the JCPOA." Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament reported that Mr. Araghchi announced in a meeting on Saturday that the sanctions approved by the U.S. Congress are "not nuclear and related to the JCPOA" but are a "violation" of the nuclear agreement. According to the state news agency IRNA, Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday, July 29, that clauses 26, 28, and 29 of the Vienna nuclear agreement have been "violated" by the U.S. He emphasized that there is "no doubt" about the U.S. "breach of promise" in implementing the Vienna nuclear agreement, but "we are still far from a gross violation of the JCPOA." Based on Article 26 of the Vienna nuclear agreement, "the government of the United States, within the legal powers of the President and Congress, will refrain from imposing new nuclear-related sanctions." Clause 28 emphasizes the implementation of the JCPOA in a climate of mutual respect and asks all parties to refrain from actions contrary to the text, spirit, and intent of the JCPOA that disrupt its successful implementation. According to Clause 29 of the JCPOA, "the European Union and member states, as well as the United States, in accordance with their laws, will refrain from any policy aimed at directly and hostilely affecting the normalization of trade and economic relations with Iran, in contradiction to their commitments not to disrupt the successful implementation of the JCPOA." The U.S. believes that some of Iran's actions undermine regional and international peace and stability, which is a violation of the spirit of the nuclear agreement, as Iran is supposed to contribute to peace and stability in the region and globally under this agreement. Therefore, officials of the Trump administration, including Trump himself, have repeatedly warned about Iran's destabilizing behaviors, asserting that such behaviors undermine the spirit of the nuclear agreement. The evidence that U.S. officials cite regarding Iran's destabilizing and destructive behaviors includes "Iran's role in escalating conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Lebanon," and "support for attacks on Israel," with the U.S. identifying Iran as the "largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world." A bill recently passed in the U.S. Congress, awaiting the President's signature to become law, is titled "Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities." The passage of this bill has provoked protests from many Iranian officials, although on Saturday, Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, spokesperson for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament, quoted Mr. Araghchi's statements in the commission meeting, stating that the sanctions approved by the U.S. Congress are "not nuclear and not related to the JCPOA, although they are a clear violation of the JCPOA." Mr. Araghchi also said that Iran has informed the Joint Commission of the JCPOA about the "violations" of the Vienna nuclear agreement by the U.S. in the recent meeting, and the Iranian Foreign Minister has previously written several letters to Federica Mogherini, the coordinator of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA, to distribute among the members of this commission. He claimed that all members of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA "agreed with the issues raised by Iran regarding the U.S. breaches of promise." Mr. Araghchi's statements come as Reuters reported, citing two informed sources, that Iran did not present an official complaint regarding the implementation process of the nuclear agreement in the recent meeting of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA. According to this report, this is the second time since Donald Trump took office in the U.S. that Iran has not raised an official complaint in this commission regarding the implementation of the nuclear agreement. However, previously, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, had protested against U.S. actions regarding the implementation of this agreement in letters to Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief and coordinator of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA. Ms. Mogherini, as her office announced in a statement, is scheduled to visit Tehran next Saturday, August 5, to attend the inauguration ceremony of Hassan Rouhani. According to this statement, this senior EU official's visit is part of her responsibility as the head of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA, and she will hold discussions on how to implement the JCPOA with Iranian officials. The Joint Commission of the JCPOA includes representatives from the 5+1 group and Iran and oversees the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement.