Reaction of the Assembly of Experts to the US Withdrawal from the JCPOA: Rouhani Should Apologize

The Assembly of Experts has stated that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accepted the JCPOA 'solely' due to the government's insistence and has called for President Hassan Rouhani to apologize for 'not adhering to the red lines' set by the Supreme Leader and for 'not obtaining necessary guarantees' from the US. In a statement issued on Sunday, May 12, the Assembly declared that the Supreme Leader was 'not optimistic' towards the West and only agreed to the Vienna nuclear agreement due to the government's insistence. The Assembly demanded that the Iranian President 'sincerely and explicitly' apologize to the Iranian people for the 'damages incurred in the JCPOA.' The statement emphasized that these 'damages' were due to 'not adhering to the red lines' announced by the Supreme Leader, including obtaining necessary guarantees from the 1+5 and not following a corresponding and step-by-step approach. The statement comes as Iran's nuclear negotiation team has repeatedly pointed out that all negotiation stages were conducted under the direct supervision of Ayatollah Khamenei. Furthermore, negotiations with the US began months before Hassan Rouhani's administration took office and at the end of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency. On October 20, 2015, the Supreme Leader confirmed the Vienna nuclear agreement but set conditions for its implementation, conditions that experts say do not count as part of the agreement since they were announced after the negotiations. Despite accepting the JCPOA, Ayatollah Khamenei has repeatedly criticized it, calling the agreement 'pure damage' and beneficial to the Western side. The Assembly of Experts also described the US and European disagreement over the continuation of the JCPOA as a 'superficial disagreement' and 'a type of division of labor,' demanding that if 'serious and firm guarantees' are not provided by Europe, Iran should withdraw from the JCPOA. The Assembly has requested the Islamic Consultative Assembly to approve the 'law of proportional and reciprocal action of the Islamic Republic in implementing the JCPOA.' It has also asked the government to pursue 'appropriate legal action' against the US in international legal forums due to the 'damages inflicted on the country over the years.' According to experts, filing a complaint with the Joint Commission of the JCPOA is one of Iran's responses to the US actions. Hassan Rouhani has stated that if the remaining five countries in the JCPOA 'guarantee that Iran's interests will be realized with the continuation of the JCPOA,' the agreement will remain despite the US withdrawal. However, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has expressed distrust towards the Europeans as well and stated that 'definite guarantees' must be obtained from them. The European Union has previously stated that as long as Iran adheres to this agreement, it will not reinstate its sanctions. However, how the EU will counter US sanctions against European companies cooperating with Iran remains unclear. According to the Iranian Constitution, the Assembly of Experts is responsible for selecting and overseeing the Supreme Leader, but this Assembly issues statements on most political issues without providing reports on its actions in this regard.