IRGC Commander: Threats Have Intensified After JCPOA

The Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps emphasized that threats against the Islamic Revolution have intensified after the Vienna nuclear agreement, stating that some political figures are neglecting revolutionary ideals. According to Fars News Agency, Mohammad Ali Jafari said on Thursday, April 21, during a television program that threats against the Islamic Revolution have become more serious following issues like the JCPOA and that more vigilance is required. He added, 'Unfortunately, today some individuals in the political arena are indifferent to the ideals, the blood of martyrs, and their achievements, and we hope this indifference will be resolved.' On Tuesday, April 5, Jafari had also stressed in the first meeting of the IRGC's Supreme Command Council in 2016 that the Vienna nuclear agreement is 'never a document of honor' and that the people accepted it 'reluctantly.' On the same day, Mahmoud Alavi, Iran's Minister of Intelligence, stated that the Vienna nuclear agreement 'lifted pressures from the Islamic Republic of Iran and neutralized the Iranophobia that global powers had worked on for years.' He emphasized that critics have been 'ungrateful' regarding the achievements of the Vienna nuclear agreement and present it as if the JCPOA had no benefits for the Islamic Republic of Iran. Despite the official endorsement of the Vienna nuclear agreement by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, he and his close associates continue to criticize this agreement. In contrast, Mostafa Tajzadeh, the political deputy of the Ministry of Interior during Mohammad Khatami's presidency, criticized Khamenei's approach in an open letter from prison, stating that it is expected for the leader of the Islamic Republic to 'take the side of the majority of the nation.' Meanwhile, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, stated on Tuesday, April 20, that to those who ask, 'What has the JCPOA done for us?' it should be said that the JCPOA has recorded a political and legal honor in Iran's history and has simultaneously annulled six UN Security Council resolutions and twelve IAEA Board of Governors resolutions against Iran. Rouhani also emphasized on April 5 that critics of the Vienna nuclear agreement 'seem to have forgotten that if it weren't for the JCPOA, we wouldn't be able to export even a single barrel of oil today.'