Monitoring Board on JCPOA: Necessary Measures Will Be Implemented with Extension of Iran Sanctions

The Monitoring Board of the JCPOA announced on Wednesday, December 8, that it considers the implementation of the extension of the "ISA" law, the law of sanctions against Iran, as a "gross violation" of this agreement and will implement "necessary measures" in response. According to the state news agency IRNA, members of the Monitoring Board held a meeting on Wednesday chaired by Hassan Rouhani to discuss "possible scenarios for the future." The approval of proposals for "any action" in case the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate's resolution to extend the "D'Amato" plan is implemented was one of the decisions made in this meeting. As reported by IRNA, members of the Monitoring Board assessed the "behavior of the U.S. regarding its commitments under the JCPOA" as "inexcusable." They deemed the implementation of the "D'Amato" law as a "gross violation of the JCPOA" and resolved to "closely monitor the U.S. government's actions" regarding the JCPOA. The "necessary executive response" based on the decisions of the Monitoring Board was also among the other decisions made in this meeting, which is set to reconvene next week to follow up on these resolutions. The Monitoring Board is chaired by Hassan Rouhani, and its members include Ali Larijani, Speaker of the Parliament; Mohammad Javad Zarif, Foreign Minister; Hossein Dehghan, Minister of Defense; Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council; Ali Akbar Salehi, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization; Saeed Jalili, Representative of the Supreme Leader in the Supreme National Security Council; and Ali Akbar Velayati, Advisor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Mr. Zarif, who is on a trip to the Far East, was not present at this meeting. Meanwhile, no further details about the meeting and its resolutions have been released, and it remains unclear how Iranian officials will respond if the "D'Amato" law is enacted. Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, previously stated that if this resolution is implemented, the JCPOA would be "violated," and Tehran has already made necessary predictions regarding this matter. He did not specify Iran's predictions in this regard but added that the Islamic Republic is "well-prepared" to respond to any violation of the Vienna nuclear agreement and does not feel the need to publicize the anticipated actions. The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives recently voted to extend the Iran sanctions law for another 10 years, which has faced protests from Iranian officials who have assessed this resolution as a "violation" of the JCPOA. Meanwhile, U.S. officials claim that extending the Iran sanctions law is not contrary to the JCPOA and that these sanctions have existed since 1996. In this context, Gholamali Khoshroo, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, also stated in a letter to the UN Secretary-General that the recent U.S. Congress resolution to extend sanctions against Iran is "contrary" to the JCPOA. In his letter, Khoshroo wrote that "the extension of the Iran sanctions law is contrary to U.S. commitments under the JCPOA, and therefore this country will be responsible for the negative consequences and harmful effects of such an action." The Secretariat of the Assembly of Experts also issued a statement on Wednesday, calling on responsible officials and institutions in the Islamic Republic of Iran to seriously pursue the issue of extending sanctions against Iran. The statement noted that "the criminal U.S. government has once again shown its arrogance and imperialistic nature by extending the 10-year sanctions, which is a unilateral violation of the JCPOA." The Assembly of Experts described this action as "hostile" and considered it a violation of international commitments, stating that this action would "further clarify the true face of America in the global arena among other parties to the nuclear agreement." Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, stated last Sunday in Parliament that "as President and Chairman of the Supreme National Security Council, I declare that we will not tolerate the violation of the JCPOA and will respond appropriately." Nevertheless, Rouhani stated on Tuesday, December 7, that Iran will not allow Donald Trump, the U.S. President-elect, to tear up the nuclear agreement, the JCPOA. Previously, Ayatollah Khamenei had also stated that "we will not violate the JCPOA," but if the Americans "tear up the JCPOA, we will burn it."