Khamenei Sets Seven Conditions for Iran to Remain in the JCPOA Against Europeans

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei strongly criticized the new U.S. policies towards Iran and the withdrawal from the JCPOA, while setting seven conditions for the Europeans to ensure Iran remains in the nuclear agreement. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic stated on Wednesday evening during the 'Iftar ceremony' with Islamic Republic officials that the country's economy cannot be fixed through a 'European JCPOA.' He outlined six conditions for continuing the JCPOA with European countries and threatened that if these conditions are not met, Iran will resume its past nuclear activities. The six conditions include: 'Issuing a resolution against the U.S. in the UN Security Council,' 'not raising Iran's missile program and regional actions in negotiations,' 'guaranteeing trade with Iran by European banks,' 'ensuring the full sale of Iran's oil,' 'compensating for past breaches of promise,' and 'countering U.S. sanctions.' Regarding his seventh condition, he stated, 'If the Europeans delay in responding to our demands, Iran's right to resume nuclear activities is reserved.' Khamenei explained his first condition by saying, 'The three European countries committed a major breach of trust 13-14 years ago (during the Saadabad Agreement under Mohammad Khatami)... they must prove that they will not have that dishonesty today.' He claimed, 'In the past two years, the U.S. has repeatedly violated the JCPOA, and the Europeans have remained silent. Europe must compensate for that silence.' Khamenei also stated that 'the U.S. has violated UN Security Council Resolution 2231 by exiting the JCPOA' and called for 'Europe to issue a resolution against the U.S. violation.' The Supreme Leader emphasized that Europe 'must commit not to raise the Islamic Republic's missile and regional issues.' He insisted that 'Europe must confront any sanctions against the Islamic Republic and stand firmly against U.S. sanctions.' Following the U.S. announcement of its withdrawal from the JCPOA, European countries stated that they would remain in the agreement. They have asked Iran to adhere to its commitments and have reported their efforts to find ways to escape the stringent U.S. sanctions against European companies operating in Iran. Khamenei's severe criticism of U.S. policies and the withdrawal from the JCPOA included a remark that Washington 'like the famous cat in the Tom and Jerry story will fail again.' He claimed that since the 1979 revolution, the U.S. has organized various political, economic, military, and propaganda actions against the Islamic Republic, with the goal of 'overthrowing' it. He noted that this word has been repeated recently. John Bolton, at a gathering of the Mujahideen-e Khalq, had stated that they would celebrate 2019 in Tehran, referring to the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. However, Bolton, who is now the National Security Advisor to Donald Trump, stated on May 12 that regime change in Iran is currently not on the Trump administration's agenda. Khamenei asserted that all U.S. actions over the past 40 years have 'failed' and, like the famous cat in the Tom and Jerry story, will fail again. The Supreme Leader added, 'The current U.S. president will not have a better fate than his predecessors like Bush and the neocons and Reagan, and will be lost in history.' Khamenei's remarks come as the Iranian currency market has been disrupted on the eve of the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA. Despite government directives and police pressure, President Hassan Rouhani's administration has failed to control the prices of foreign currencies, with reports indicating that the dollar has reached 7,000 tomans, and the value of currencies from neighboring countries, including the Turkish lira and UAE dirham, has significantly increased against the Iranian currency. On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced '12 conditions' stating that his administration would impose 'the toughest sanctions in history against Iran, and if the Iranian government does not change its behavior, the pressure of sanctions will increase.' These conditions include halting uranium enrichment, releasing imprisoned American citizens, stopping the development of ballistic missile programs, ceasing support for groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad, not interfering in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, not supporting the Taliban, ending threats against Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Hours later, however, the Iranian president described the U.S. Secretary of State's remarks as similar to those of George Bush's administration 15 years ago, stating, 'Who are you to decide for Iran and the world and tell us what Iran should do regarding nuclear technology?' Pompeo's remarks were welcomed by some of America's allies, including the governments of Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain, while others expressed criticisms or doubts. The Supreme Leader also stated that the Islamic Republic cannot engage with the U.S. and that we should not be 'comforted by trivial matters.' He added, 'The fact that they say the U.S. has lost morally and in terms of reputation regarding the JCPOA. Did we negotiate for the U.S. to lose its reputation, or did we negotiate for sanctions to be lifted? Now they say secondary sanctions will return.' Khamenei acknowledged that the goal of the nuclear negotiations was to lift sanctions, despite having always deemed Western sanctions ineffective. The Supreme Leader had previously said in 2011 in response to Western sanctions that 'one thinks of the cat in the Tom and Jerry cartoon. Its movements are excessive, and its noise is great, and its size is large, but the result of its work is not as it expects or as viewers expect.' He emphasized, 'It really is like that. It depends on your cleverness. They said smart sanctions or paralyzing sanctions; however, we see that these sanctions were neither that smart nor paralyzing.' In his remarks on Wednesday, Khamenei noted that one of the 'experiences' of the U.S. exit from the JCPOA was that it proved 'the Islamic Republic cannot engage with the U.S.' He stressed that this event is 'the answer to those who said, 'Why don't you negotiate and engage with the U.S.?' Before direct negotiations between Iranian and U.S. officials during Hassan Rouhani's administration regarding the nuclear issue, the two countries had secretly negotiated several times at the end of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency at the level of deputy foreign ministers in Oman with the permission of the Supreme Leader, who ordered that only nuclear issues be discussed. Khamenei also stated on Wednesday, 'In dealing with the JCPOA, political and media elements should avoid blaming each other. Fair criticism is fine, but there should be no insult and humiliation, and a bipolarity based on the JCPOA should not be created.' Following the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, close associates of the Supreme Leader have strongly attacked Hassan Rouhani and his nuclear negotiating team, as exemplified by the statement of Ahmad Jannati, the head of the Assembly of Experts, and the remarks of Friday prayer leaders.