IRGC Commander: The JCPOA is Never a Document of Honor and the People Accepted it Reluctantly

The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) described considering the Vienna nuclear agreement as a model for solving other problems as a "sign of short-sightedness and a kind of self-deprecation" and accused proponents of "series of JCPOAs" of unwittingly following the anti-revolutionary path. According to a report on Tuesday, April 6, by ISNA news agency, Mohammad Ali Jafari emphasized in the first meeting of the IRGC's Supreme Command Council in 1395 (2016) that the Vienna nuclear agreement is "never a document of honor" and that the people accepted it "reluctantly." He stated: "The JCPOA has never been regarded as a document of honor and will not be. Although the nuclear resistance of the Iranian nation, which forced the enemy to change its strategy, was an honor, this resistance is different from part of the outcome that was the JCPOA." According to Mr. Jafari, those who speak of "the series of JCPOAs" have "unwittingly taken the same anti-revolutionary path" and want to "humiliate" the Iranian people. He added: "In the distant and near years, we will never think of other JCPOAs and we think about overcoming the enemy and silencing their threatening voices and standing firm on our revolutionary principles and values." The IRGC commander described the Vienna nuclear agreement as one with an "uncertain outcome" and stated that "a large part of its commitments is from the treacherous and spiteful enemy." Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, in his Nowruz message, referred to the elections on March 7 as the beginning of "JCPOA 2" and said that "this JCPOA begins with ethics before economics." Hours after Mr. Rouhani's Nowruz message was published, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, criticized the mention of "JCPOAs 2 and 3" and those who, according to him, have pinned their hopes on negotiations with the U.S. to solve the country's problems. Subsequently, several close associates of Ayatollah Khamenei, including Ahmad Khatami, the Friday prayer leader of Tehran, and several members of parliament, severely criticized the mention of "JCPOAs 2 and 3." Despite the official acceptance of the Vienna nuclear agreement by the leader of the Islamic Republic, he and his close associates continue to criticize this agreement. In contrast, Hassan Rouhani stated on April 5 that critics of the Vienna nuclear agreement "seem to have forgotten that if there was no JCPOA, we would not be able to export even a barrel of oil today." The Minister of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic also stated on Tuesday that critics have been "ungrateful" regarding the achievements of the Vienna nuclear agreement and "present it in a way that suggests the JCPOA has had no achievements for the Islamic Republic of Iran." According to IRNA news agency, Mahmoud Alavi emphasized that this agreement "lifted pressures from the Islamic Republic of Iran and neutralized the Iranophobia that world powers had worked on for years." In another part of his speech, the IRGC commander reacted to U.S. officials' statements about Iran's missile tests, saying: "We have prepared for military options before we are ready for political and diplomatic options." He added: "For years, we have built power assuming a widespread war with the U.S. and its allies, and we have expanded all our capacities and capabilities for decisive victories against such enemies." The IRGC commander stated that this institution does not welcome war, but if a war occurs, like the Iran-Iraq war, it will view it "as an opportunity." The U.S., along with France, Britain, and Germany, has described Iran's recent missile tests as a disregard for UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and has called on the Security Council to address it. However, Islamic Republic officials say that Iran's ballistic missiles are defensive in nature and do not have the capability to carry nuclear warheads, so their test launches do not violate the mentioned resolution. The IRGC commander continued his remarks by calling the governments of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and "similar ones" a "manifestation of modern political backwardness" and stated that the IRGC is prepared to "respond to their insolence and foolish behavior" and is "waiting for orders." He criticized the behavior of Arab countries towards Israel and Saudi military intervention in Yemen, claiming that "the people of Arab lands will soon draw their swords of revenge." Mr. Jafari emphasized the Islamic Republic's support for "the survival of the Syrian regime" and Hezbollah in Lebanon, adding: "We will not leave the people of Palestine and Yemen alone, and the sword of Ansar Allah, with God's help, will be sharper." Mr. Jafari has previously described the status of the export of the Islamic Revolution outside Iran as "very favorable" and stated that the revolution "needs faster progress" inside Iran. Officials from several regional countries, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Jordan, accuse Iran of seeking dominance over the Middle East and interfering in the internal affairs of countries such as Yemen, Bahrain, Iraq, and Syria. In contrast, the commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC stated on March 13 of last year, while rejecting accusations of "Iran's adventurism in the region," emphasized that the Islamic Republic does not seek to convert Sunnis to Shiism and has "put its life as a shield for Sunnis." Islamic Republic officials have previously denied these allegations, but at the same time, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and his close associates have emphasized support for the Islamic Republic's allies in Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Palestine, Lebanon, and Iraq.