National Security Commission Report: The U.S. Disrupts Implementation of the JCPOA

The National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament, in its first report on the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, urged the government to act "explicitly, transparently, and timely" in response to the "breach of commitment and violation" by the U.S. and to send a "report on proportional and reciprocal actions" to the Parliament. The commission repeatedly accused the U.S. of causing "disruption, delay, and procrastination" in fulfilling its commitments under the Vienna nuclear agreement. The report emphasized that the United States, through actions such as "imposing conditions for the entry and interaction of international banks and foreign investors" with Iran, has caused "confusion and doubt" among international banks. According to the authors of the report, due to the "dominance" of the U.S. financial system over the international financial system, major global banks are still cautious about cooperating with Iran due to concerns over heavy past penalties. The National Security and Foreign Policy Commission has requested the Foreign Ministry to "carefully explain" the challenges faced by foreign banks in establishing relations with Iran's banking system in its next report on the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement. Iranian officials have previously accused the U.S. of "breach of commitment" in implementing the Vienna nuclear agreement, including "disruption" in foreign banks' cooperation with Iran. The U.S. Secretary of State and his counterparts from Britain, Germany, and France, along with the EU's foreign policy chief, on May 30, called on banks and traders not to overlook legal investment opportunities in Iran. These countries also expressed readiness to alleviate doubts in this regard. Despite this statement, Iranian officials have repeatedly emphasized that sanctions against Iran have been lifted on paper, but European countries need to make "greater efforts" to eliminate the "existing psychological atmosphere, especially in the area of banking interactions." Meanwhile, Valiollah Seif, the head of the Central Bank of Iran, stated on Saturday, October 16, that the current conditions cannot be considered as "normalization of banking relations" and that the existing conditions are "unsatisfactory compared to the expectations prior to the JCPOA." Mr. Seif also noted that after the Vienna nuclear agreement, a "relatively appropriate" relationship has been established between Iranian banks and foreign banks, and this level of banking connections "somewhat resolves" Iran's foreign trade problems. On the same day, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, stated that the problems of Iranian banks and insurance companies in cooperating economically with foreign countries have been "resolved" and that there is "no deadlock" in this regard, but there are issues that are partly related to foreign countries and partly due to the "outdated" nature of Iranian banks. U.S. officials have also responded to Iran's criticisms by stating that they have fulfilled all their commitments under the JCPOA and that some of the current sanctions are related to primary sanctions that are unrelated to the nuclear agreement. Meanwhile, the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian Parliament accused the U.S. of trying to ensure that the JCPOA does not weaken U.S. primary sanctions. The report also listed the imposition of new sanctions against Iran on issues other than the Vienna nuclear agreement, including human rights sanctions, as instances of "breach of commitment and violations by the U.S." The report from the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission comes at a time when Iranian Foreign Ministry officials have previously stated that the approval of new sanctions on issues other than the Vienna nuclear agreement does not constitute a "violation" of this agreement, but it is a "violation" of the conditions set by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Ayatollah Khamenei, on October 20, 2015, while approving the Vienna nuclear agreement, set conditions for its implementation, threatening that any imposition of sanctions "at any level and for any excuse," including "terrorism and human rights," by the negotiating countries would be considered a "violation" of the Vienna nuclear agreement. The report also stated that the Parliament "obliges" the government to act "explicitly, transparently, and timely" based on the law passed by the Parliament regarding the Vienna nuclear agreement and to send a report on proportional and reciprocal actions along with quarterly reports on the implementation process of the JCPOA to the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission. According to the Iranian Parliament's resolution regarding the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, titled "Proportional and Reciprocal Action of the Islamic Republic in Implementing the JCPOA," the Foreign Ministry is required to report the implementation process of the Vienna nuclear agreement to the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission every three months. Additionally, the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission is also required to present a report on the implementation of this agreement to the Parliament every six months. The Iranian Foreign Ministry has so far submitted two reports on the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, which has drawn criticism from conservative groups.