Mohammad Javad Zarif: Iran Has Other Options If JCPOA Fails

Iran's Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, following Donald Trump's victory, who promised to cancel the nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic, stated that Tehran urges all parties to remain committed to the international nuclear agreement, but otherwise, Iran has other options. According to Reuters, Zarif, who is in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, said on Thursday, November 20: "Of course, Iran's options are not limited, but our hope and desire, and our preference, is the full implementation of the nuclear agreement, which is not merely a bilateral agreement that one side can cancel." For the Obama administration, which is soon to end its term, the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, signed last July, was seen as the best way to halt Iran's nuclear programs and suspicions regarding Tehran's efforts to produce nuclear weapons. In return, sanctions imposed due to Iran's nuclear program were lifted last January. Donald Trump described this agreement during his campaign as a "disaster" and the "worst agreement ever signed," claiming it would lead to a "nuclear holocaust." Under this agreement, Iran was obliged to reduce its active centrifuges for uranium enrichment by two-thirds in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions against it, maintain the production of enriched uranium at a much lower level than high-concentration uranium for nuclear weapons, and accept full inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency regarding its compliance with its commitments. On Thursday, after meeting with Slovakia's Foreign Minister, Miroslav Lajcak, Zarif said at a press conference in Bratislava: "Our main preference as one of the parties to this agreement, which has been fully committed and has fulfilled all its obligations, is that all parties involved in the agreement and the international community remain committed to its implementation." In response to the question of whether Iran would resume uranium enrichment if the Trump administration cancels the nuclear agreement, Zarif said: "If the U.S. government mistakenly decides not to fulfill its commitments under the nuclear agreement, we will have other options." When asked if he would have a good working relationship with Trump's Secretary of State like John Kerry, Zarif stated that such relations are not necessary. He added: "We had long negotiations with the U.S. on the nuclear issue. I do not currently expect that another long negotiation will be necessary. Certainly, there is no need for such necessity regarding the nuclear issue, and I doubt that any other issue will arise that would require me to have a similar level of contact with whoever the future U.S. Secretary of State may be." Recently, some sources have mentioned Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Bob Corker, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as potential candidates for the Secretary of State position in the Trump administration. Both candidates believe that the nuclear agreement with Iran should be reviewed.