Rouhani and Zarif Criticize US Approach to JCPOA in Meeting with Mogherini

On Saturday, August 5, Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, met with Hassan Rouhani and Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran. During the meeting, the Iranian President described the new US sanctions as "destructive" to the nuclear agreement, while the Foreign Minister accused the US of attempting to "destroy the JCPOA at Iran's expense." Mogherini, who traveled to Tehran for Rouhani's inauguration, met with several officials of the Islamic Republic. According to the IRIB news agency, Rouhani stated, "The repeated violations of commitments by the US government and the imposition of new sanctions against Iran have had a negative impact on the public opinion of the Iranian people and could be destructive to the implementation of the JCPOA, and certainly, the Islamic Consultative Assembly will pass a law in retaliation against the new US actions." Donald Trump, the US President, accused Iran on April 20 of not acting in accordance with the spirit of the nuclear agreement; he then signed a congressional bill to impose new sanctions against Iran, Russia, and North Korea, paving the way for a complete sanction on the IRGC. The US government accuses Iran of supporting terrorism and severely criticizes the activities of the IRGC and the development of Iran's missile program. Iran considers these accusations "baseless" and reciprocates with similar accusations against the US. In this verbal dispute, Rouhani said during the meeting with Mogherini, "Iran has fully complied with its commitments under the JCPOA, but some parties are not adhering to their commitments." He added, "A significant part of the implementation of the JCPOA relates to the opening of economic, banking, and commercial relations, which must be operationalized as soon as possible and completely." The Iranian Foreign Minister also met with Mogherini in Tehran on Saturday; Zarif criticized the EU and US statement regarding the "threatening" nature of the Simorgh satellite launch, accusing the US of attempting to "destroy the JCPOA at Iran's expense." According to Iranian media reports, Zarif accused the US of trying to prevent the Islamic Republic from benefiting from the "advantages of the JCPOA," stating that these actions constitute a "violation of the text of the JCPOA." Zarif also remarked that "Mr. Trump is trying to destroy the JCPOA at Iran's expense, and Europe needs to be vigilant in this regard." He criticized the EU's statement in response to the Simorgh satellite launch. Zarif's comments come as Reuters previously reported that despite Iran's public protests against the new US sanctions, it did not formally object to the implementation of the nuclear agreement during the Joint Commission meeting. In recent days, some Iranian officials have stated that the US is trying to get Iran to annul the Vienna nuclear agreement by its own actions. For instance, Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, stated on Wednesday, August 2, that the US is seeking to annul the nuclear agreement at Tehran's expense, but the Islamic Republic will not give Washington such an opportunity. In contrast, the US believes that some of Iran's actions undermine regional and international peace and stability, which violates the spirit of the nuclear agreement, as Iran is supposed to participate in creating peace and stability in the region and globally. Meanwhile, on August 2, Trump signed the congressional bill to intensify sanctions against Iran. On the same day, the US, UK, France, and Germany warned the United Nations that Iran had taken a "threatening and provocative step" by testing the Simorgh satellite launch vehicle, which has the capability to carry satellites into space. These countries also called for the UN Secretary-General to address this issue. However, the leader of the Islamic Republic described this action on Thursday as "a normal and routine task" that has caused "hysteria." Recently, unofficial reports in US media have indicated that Trump has asked White House staff to prepare a potential case to prove Iran's non-compliance with the JCPOA. Throughout his election campaign, Trump repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction with the nuclear agreement with Iran and even promised to tear it up if he became President. However, on August 3, EU foreign policy spokesperson Catherine Ray announced that all parties to the nuclear agreement have so far adhered to their commitments. Meanwhile, Mogherini stated during her meeting with Zarif that the EU's positions on the Vienna nuclear agreement are "clear" and that the EU is trying to "keep the US alongside it in the JCPOA." She emphasized, "We all need wise and proportionate actions." Amnesty International issued a statement urging Mogherini to call for the release of all human rights activists imprisoned in Iran during her visit to Tehran. Simultaneously, Mogherini's spokesperson stated that she would pursue the issue of human rights during her trip.