JCPOA, the Main Focus of Hassan Rouhani's Talks in Switzerland and Austria

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, arrived in Zurich on Monday, July 2nd, and was welcomed. The European proposal package to maintain the JCPOA will be a major topic of discussions between the Iranian President and Swiss and Austrian officials. Concurrently with Rouhani's trip to Europe, media reported the arrest of an Iranian diplomat accused of having connections with two Iranians suspected of attempting to attack a Mojahedin-e Khalq conference in the suburbs of Paris. Before leaving Mehrabad Airport, Rouhani told reporters, "This trip is an opportunity to discuss the future of the JCPOA and agreements with the European Union, especially since Austria has taken over the rotating presidency of the EU since yesterday, and therefore we will also talk to Austria as the president of the Union at this juncture." The Iranian President stated that he plans to discuss the European proposal package, which he said would be presented in the coming days, with Austrian officials. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, is also accompanying Rouhani on this trip. After the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, the European Union, along with Russia and China, emphasized the importance of maintaining this international agreement; however, U.S. extraterritorial sanctions have made economic and banking cooperation with Iran very difficult. Many major European companies have left Iran in recent weeks due to fears of these sanctions. Iran has stated that if it does not benefit from the economic advantages of the JCPOA, it may withdraw from the agreement. Guaranteeing oil sales has been one of the main conditions set by Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, for remaining in the JCPOA. The U.S. has given countries three months to reduce their oil imports from Iran to zero. Rouhani has left Iran for Europe amid the repercussions of the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA and the return of sanctions, alongside the structural problems of Iran's economy, which have severely disrupted the currency and gold markets and led to public discontent spilling into the streets. In addition to all this, the environmental crisis and water shortages are occasionally manifested in protest gatherings in various cities, with the latest examples in Abadan and Khorramshahr. Before his trip to Switzerland, the Iranian President mentioned that during his visits to the two European countries, he would discuss education and water resource management, industrial and commercial relations, healthcare, and modern technologies with officials from these countries. The Austrian Chancellor has stated that he will speak candidly with Hassan Rouhani about Iran's activities in the region and the human rights situation. Austria took over the rotating presidency of the EU on Sunday. The nuclear agreement with Iran was signed in Vienna in 2015. Switzerland is the protector of U.S. interests in Iran and Geneva has hosted several rounds of nuclear talks between Iran and major powers.