Larijani Criticizes Opponents of the JCPOA Again; 'They Violated Their Commitment'

Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, once again accused the opponents of the Vienna nuclear agreement and the conservative faction in the Parliament, led by Gholamali Haddad Adel, of having 'violated their commitment' by opposing the plan for implementing the Vienna nuclear agreement despite prior coordination with them. On Tuesday, November 4, Larijani announced in a public session of the Parliament that the review of the implementation plan for the Vienna nuclear agreement was conducted 'in various sessions outside the public chamber and with multiple coordination with two parliamentary factions and coordination with the secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council.' He criticized the behavior of the representatives opposing the Vienna nuclear agreement, stating that 'not adhering to commitments and transferring that to others is another wrongdoing... Those who continuously deny and refute should know that they are adding a new burden to their previous wrongdoing, and violations of commitment cannot be blamed on others by running away.' The Speaker emphasized again that the files raised at the level of the Supreme National Security Council 'cannot be implemented except by the final decision' of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Larijani has previously referred to Iran's nuclear file as 'the Leader's file.' However, Alireza Zakani, the head of the JCPOA Commission in Parliament, called Larijani's statements 'incorrect' and stated that 'the responsibility for the nuclear file lies with Larijani and Rouhani.' The Iranian Parliament approved the details of the implementation plan for the Vienna nuclear agreement in a tense session on Tuesday, October 21, and this plan was ratified by the Guardian Council on Wednesday, October 22. During the approval of this plan, members of the Stability Front and several members of the conservative faction in Parliament severely criticized Larijani's performance. However, the criticisms of Larijani's position on the nuclear agreement were not limited to a group of representatives, and according to the website Entekhab, some attendees at a mourning ceremony in the office of the Supreme Leader shouted 'harsh slogans' against them and the Vienna nuclear agreement during the presence of both Larijani and the President at the ceremony. Larijani had previously accused the representatives opposing the Vienna nuclear agreement on Sunday, October 26, of not adhering to agreements made before the public session of Parliament to review the implementation plan for the Vienna nuclear agreement. In addition to him, Kazem Jalali, the head of the Followers of the Velayat faction, also stated that Ali Asghar Zarei and Mehrdad Bazrpash, representatives designated by the conservative faction, had supported the implementation plan for the Vienna nuclear agreement, although both of them were against it during the review of the plan. Support for Ali Larijani from Sadegh Larijani However, the actions of the critics of the nuclear agreement have also opened the field for the head of the judiciary, who also complained about them on Tuesday. Sadegh Larijani, the head of Iran's judiciary, said on Tuesday that the critics of the Vienna nuclear agreement 'sometimes went beyond the usual limits and attributed matters to the President, the government, the foreign minister, and the Speaker of Parliament that they were innocent of.' According to the Mehr news agency, the head of the judiciary described the Supreme Leader's letter in 'conditional approval' of the Vienna nuclear agreement as 'the final word' and 'the end of criticisms and disputes' regarding this agreement and called on all groups to think about the future and the next stages of implementing the JCPOA 'with moderation and deliberation' after the letter from Ayatollah Khamenei. The head of the judiciary also referred to the 'effective role' of his brother, Ali Larijani, in the nuclear negotiations, introducing him as a 'politician and an informed and aware expert on the issues.' Sadegh Amoli Larijani emphasized that the Supreme Leader has 'always' been aware of the nuclear negotiations and has had 'more oversight over the negotiations than anyone else.'