Response of the Head of the JCPOA Commission to Criticism of the Commission's Report

The head of the JCPOA Commission in the Iranian Parliament emphasized on Wednesday, October 7, that criticisms of the Commission's report on the Vienna nuclear agreement are "illogical" and that this report has not received "negative feedback" in the Parliament. According to Fars News Agency, Alireza Zakani, the head of this special commission, also rejected claims that the report was prepared outside the Parliament, stating that the draft of the final report was written in the Commission's secretariat under his supervision and that ultimately "everything from A to Z" was approved within this Commission. According to Mr. Zakani, the final report of the JCPOA Commission is a combination of the rewritten reports of the Commission's committees along with a "summary" of responses to 65 questions "from various sources such as the government, university professors, and experts from the Research Center." The head of the JCPOA Commission also mentioned that the Foreign Ministry has "not responded" to the Commission's questions, and Hassan Qashqavi, the parliamentary deputy of the Foreign Ministry, jokingly told him that "you are taking this too seriously and the JCPOA issue is resolved." Aladdin Boroujerdi, Mansour Haghighatpour, Gholamreza Tajgardoon, Masoud Pezeshkian, and Abbasali Mansouri Arani, five members of the special JCPOA Commission, officially described the final report of this Commission as "one-sided" in a statement on Sunday, October 4, and stated that this report "does not align with national interests" and ignores the positive effects of the Vienna nuclear agreement. On the same day, the Parliament voted on the urgency of the plan for "Iran's proportional and reciprocal action in implementing the JCPOA," which allows the Iranian government to implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or the nuclear agreement with world powers "within the framework of the Supreme National Security Council's resolutions" and under the condition of "observing 9 rulings and obligations." Most members of the Principlist faction of the Parliament, led by Gholamali Haddad Adel, opposed this plan, and for this reason, the two urgencies of this plan were not approved. Mr. Zakani continued his remarks by referring to the agreement between the faction of the followers of the Wilayat and the Principlist faction of the Parliament to prepare this plan, stating that Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Parliament, vetoed the proposals from representatives designated by the Principlist faction regarding this plan. He pointed out the previous resolution of the Iranian Parliament regarding the prohibition of voluntarily implementing the Additional Protocol in the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), emphasizing that if the Parliament does not pass a resolution regarding the Vienna nuclear agreement by October 18, the implementation of this agreement "will not be possible." According to the Vienna nuclear agreement, Iran will implement the Additional Protocol voluntarily for eight years without the Parliament's approval. Iranian government officials have repeatedly emphasized that there is no need for the Parliament to approve the Vienna nuclear agreement, and this agreement will be approved by the Supreme National Security Council of Iran. In another part of his remarks, the head of the JCPOA Commission stated that contrary to the statements of Iranian Foreign Ministry officials, "from the perspective of the United Nations," some Iranian missiles such as Shahab and Sajjil are "designed" to carry nuclear warheads. According to Mr. Zakani, Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, also stated in the JCPOA Commission meeting that the Vienna nuclear agreement is "neither a great victory nor a poison chalice." Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister, and other members of the Iranian nuclear negotiating team have repeatedly emphasized that the nuclear agreement does not impose restrictions on Iran's missile program and that the Islamic Republic intends to continue developing and testing its missiles, including ballistic missiles. These officials have argued that the continuation of restrictions on Iran's missile tests is mentioned in UN Security Council Resolution 2231, but since Iran does not intend to build and test a nuclear warhead, this part of the resolution is automatically nullified. The opinion of the General Staff of the Armed Forces regarding the weakening of "Islamic Awakening" after the Vienna agreement. The head of the JCPOA Commission also stated on Wednesday that government officials in the JCPOA Commission meeting announced that the Vienna nuclear agreement "strengthens Islamic Awakening in the region." According to Mr. Zakani, however, General Vahidi, representing the General Staff of the Armed Forces, presented an "important confidential file" in the JCPOA Commission and called the claim of government officials "baseless," stating that "if the government implements the arms restrictions, our position in the region will be harmed." Ali Akbar Velayati, the international advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, stated on Sunday, August 16, that Iran will have "greater capability" to support its "friends in the region" after the Vienna nuclear agreement and that the "axis of resistance" in the region will be strengthened. Iran names groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas and other Palestinian groups opposing Middle East peace, as well as the Syrian government, as the "resistance front" against Israel. The statements of Iranian officials come at a time when Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, expressed concern earlier in August that the funds released to Iran following the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement have already led to "celebrations by Bashar Assad and Hassan Nasrallah."