Iraqi's Positions in Parliament: The JCPOA is 'Not Revivable' and Hostility with the U.S. 'Will Not End'

Two members of parliament have quoted Abbas Araghchi, the proposed foreign minister by President Masoud Pezeshkian, stating that the JCPOA, or the nuclear agreement between Iran and the West, China, and Russia, 'is not revivable.' Mohsen Fathi, the deputy head of the Social Committee of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, reported on Wednesday, August 24, about a meeting with Araghchi, quoting him as saying, 'the JCPOA is not revivable.' Ahmad Rastin, the spokesperson for the Cultural Committee of the parliament, also repeated this statement regarding the JCPOA from Abbas Araghchi, a position announced during a session with members of this committee. The proposed foreign minister stated that 'we can never resolve hostility with the U.S., but we can manage this hostility in a way that minimizes harm to the people.' He claimed that to achieve this, the path of 'neutralizing and circumventing sanctions and lifting sanctions' should be pursued. Ibrahim Rezaei, the spokesperson for the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, also announced that the proposed foreign minister stated in the committee meeting: 'Our program is to manage hostility with the U.S., as resolving hostility between Iran and the U.S. is not feasible due to the fundamental worldview and differences between Iran and the U.S.' He further stated that if one day we become 'friends' with the U.S., it means the nature of either the U.S. or Iran has changed. Abbas Araghchi did not present a new solution for lifting or neutralizing sanctions, only emphasizing the necessity of cooperation between 'diplomacy and the field' and stressing the role of the 'resistance axis,' stating that complete coordination between the diplomatic apparatus and other agencies is unavoidable, thus coordination will be established with the armed forces. Some officials of the Islamic Republic have referred to the Revolutionary Guards and Iran's proxy forces in the region as the 'field.' Araghchi further clarified that the 'economic diplomacy of the resistance axis' has been a special focus of the fourteenth government, especially in cooperation with Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, as economic relations with these three countries are vital for our national security and should be expanded. His remarks about the economic role of Syria and Lebanon in Iran's security come at a time when, according to customs statistics, last year Iran had only $27 million in exports to Lebanon and $140 million to Syria, and the combined share of these two countries in Iran's total exports does not even reach two-tenths of a percent (0.002). On the other hand, Iran's exports to Iraq last year amounted to $9.2 billion, which is one billion dollars less than in 1401. Araghchi also stated that 'diplomats must believe in the Islamic Republic to the core' and emphasized that he will use 'Hezbollah-affiliated, loyal, efficient, and specialized' colleagues. Araghchi stressed the implementation of the 'Strategic Action Law' approved by the previous parliament during his meeting with members of the two mentioned committees. His remarks come at a time when Mohammad Javad Zarif, the head of the transitional government's steering council during Pezeshkian's electoral campaign, stated that 'the Strategic Action Law prevented the U.S. from returning to the JCPOA.' Former President Hassan Rouhani also deemed this parliamentary action as 'the worst law in the history of the Islamic Republic of Iran,' claiming that the Strategic Action Law cost the country $300 billion. However, Pezeshkian had also stated at that time that the parliamentary resolution known as the Strategic Action Law would be implemented as it is a law. Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, also explicitly praised this law after Pezeshkian's victory. In this law, which was approved in December 2020, the government was asked to stop the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol two months after the law's approval if the '1+4 countries do not fully implement their commitments to Iran and if full banking relations do not normalize and if obstacles to Iran's oil exports and sales are not lifted.' Regarding the question of 'Are you a continuation of Javad Zarif and what is your relationship with Mr. Zarif?' Araghchi stated that he has his own 'experience, background, intellectual base, and rhetoric,' and if he receives a vote of confidence from the parliament, he will not allow anyone to 'interfere' in his work. He was the deputy to Mohammad Javad Zarif in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator during Hassan Rouhani's presidency.