Iraqi's Reaction to New Sanctions: 'It Will Affect the Successful Implementation of the JCPOA'

On Wednesday, August 4, the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, in Iran's first official reaction to the new U.S. sanctions, did not consider these sanctions a new issue but stated that they would have a negative impact on the 'successful implementation of the JCPOA.' Abbas Araghchi, Deputy for Legal and International Affairs at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, also described the approval of this new bill as 'a completely clear hostile act against the Islamic Republic.' The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved a bill on Tuesday, August 3, to impose further sanctions on Iran, Russia, and North Korea. This bill is essentially a new version of a Senate bill that was approved on June 15, which sanctions Iran for 'developing ballistic missiles, supporting terrorism and militia groups, and human rights violations in the country.' Now, according to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), Abbas Araghchi has reacted to the approval of this new bill and threatened that this action in the U.S. will face an 'unequivocal response' from Iran. Araghchi, who was also a member of Iran's nuclear negotiating team, did not provide details on Iran's potential reaction to these new sanctions. However, he stated that these new sanctions are merely a 'compilation of existing sanctions regarding issues such as terrorism, human rights, missile and military issues.' He also pointed out that this new action will have another consequence regarding the JCPOA, Iran's nuclear agreement with the 1+5 group. He said: 'This action could affect the successful implementation of the JCPOA and reduce the Islamic Republic's benefits from it.' Since Donald Trump's administration in the U.S. took office, Washington and Tehran have repeatedly accused each other of damaging the 'spirit and letter' of the JCPOA: the U.S. claims that Iran is undermining the agreement with its missile tests, while Iran accuses the U.S. of imposing non-nuclear sanctions. The countries negotiating with Iran in the nuclear talks committed to lifting or suspending Iran's nuclear sanctions in exchange for Iran's cooperation in reducing its nuclear activities. On the same day that the U.S. House of Representatives voted for new sanctions against Iran, the U.S. President also warned Iran in a speech to adhere to the nuclear agreement, or it would face 'big problems.' The Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister referred to this point on Wednesday, saying: 'There are words and threats being made that in three months... they will not confirm Iran's adherence to the JCPOA. We will wait and decide based on their actions.' The reputable Foreign Policy magazine reported on July 30 in an exclusive report, citing three sources 'close to the White House,' that Donald Trump was dissatisfied with his Secretary of State regarding the nuclear agreement and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. According to this magazine, the U.S. President has asked 'a group of trusted White House staff' to prepare a 'potential case' to prove Iran's non-compliance with the JCPOA text within the next 90 days. Mike Pompeo, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, has also described Iran as a very serious threat to U.S. interests, stating that the Trump administration is making 'fundamental changes' in Washington's policies towards Tehran and countering what it calls Iran's 'expansionism.'