Kerry: Iran's Nuclear Agreement Likely to Be Implemented in a Few Days

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced on Thursday, January 7, that if things go well, the nuclear agreement with Iran is likely to be implemented in a few days. According to Reuters, Kerry also stated that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif emphasized in a phone call on Thursday that Tehran intends to implement all provisions of the Vienna nuclear agreement. He said that the U.S. continues to pursue issues such as Iran's ballistic missile activities and the fate of American prisoners in that country. The nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers was reached on July 14 of this year in Vienna, under which Tehran agreed to halt many of its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of U.S., EU, and UN sanctions against Tehran. However, the U.S. has stated that sanctions related to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, missile programs, and human rights violations in Iran will not be lifted. In his remarks on Thursday regarding the imposition of new sanctions against Iran due to its new missile tests, Kerry said, 'The review process for these sanctions is ongoing, but due to technical issues, it has not yet reached the final stage.' Kerry's statements came as Hamid Baidi-Nejad, the Director General for Political Affairs at Iran's Foreign Ministry, on December 31, commented on the possibility of new U.S. sanctions, saying that if Tehran concludes that U.S. actions violate the Vienna nuclear agreement, 'it will take reciprocal action.' Previously, some Iranian officials had deemed the travel restriction bill to the U.S., the possibility of new U.S. sanctions against Iran, and the potential confiscation of the Central Bank of Iran's assets in New York as 'violations' of the Vienna nuclear agreement. Earlier, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, in a letter to President Rouhani on October 21 of this year regarding the Vienna nuclear agreement, stated that 'any imposition of sanctions at any level and for any reason' by negotiating countries 'will be considered a violation' of the nuclear agreement 'and the government is obliged to halt its implementation.' Subsequent reports indicated that senior officials in the Obama administration had told U.S. congressional representatives that these sanctions had been postponed due to ongoing negotiations regarding the nuclear agreement. This situation drew criticism from several U.S. congressional representatives. In this context, Hassan Rouhani called for the production of various missiles with greater speed and seriousness. Zarif stated that the full implementation of the U.S. Congress's visa bill is a violation of the JCPOA. 'Kerry's letter to Zarif' regarding the travel restriction bill to the U.S. contrasts 'the JCPOA' with Iran's defense needs. Araqchi: We expect the 'JCPOA' to be implemented in January. The changing battlefield of 'proxy forces'; war against the people in the streets of Iran. The first paragraph; the responsibility of opponents and the possibility of radicalization in Iranian society. The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis. Trump: I hope there is no need for further action regarding Iran; they were killing people indiscriminately. The shadow of war over Tehran; 'Trump is seeking decisive military options against Iran.' Trump says if the Islamic Republic attempts to assassinate him, 'it will be wiped off the face of the earth.' A senior U.S. official: The Trump administration is closely following the case of Reza Valizadeh. Trump emphasizes 'stopping executions in Iran': We do not know what will happen in the future.