Rouhani: Violators of the JCPOA Will Pay the Price

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, stated that the Islamic Republic will not be the "initiator" of violating the JCPOA, but Tehran has considered the agreement without the U.S., and violators of this contract will "pay the price". In a ceremony for National Nuclear Technology Day, Rouhani added that the Iranian nation has learned through its culture and religion that "if we make a pact or agreement with someone, we will not be the initiators of violating that pact." He referred to the JCPOA and the efforts of Donald Trump's administration in the past 15 months to "violate" it, reminding that "some have provoked us to violate the JCPOA ourselves... If you violate the pact, you must pay the price yourself. You will not be able to violate the pact at the expense of the Iranian nation." The head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council described the JCPOA as a "strong building" that, despite the Americans spending "billions of dollars and tweeting to shake this building, they could not." Regarding Trump, he said, "For 15 months, the man who has come to power has had many ups and downs in his words and actions. For 15 months, they have been trying to violate the JCPOA... This means they are not loyal to their commitments, and their reputation is at stake. We have thought about whether the JCPOA exists or not, or whether it exists with or without America." Rouhani also defended the achievements of the JCPOA, saying that with this agreement, Iran's nuclear industry "has a faster pace with more capability and precision compared to yesterday" and that after signing this contract, Iran entered "nuclear trade." He explained that after the JCPOA, "we purchased about 400 tons of yellowcake and sold nuclear products, and we started our path in nuclear cooperation with the world. We built new reactors in Bushehr." Rouhani's statements are a reaction to recent pressures from the U.S. government on European partners to withdraw from the JCPOA. Trump has repeatedly described this agreement as the "worst" international agreement that the U.S. has ever signed. Trump has set a deadline for Congress and his allies to correct the flaws and deficiencies of the JCPOA, expecting at least four major issues to be considered in the revision: making Iran's restrictions permanent under this agreement, inspections of all Iranian facilities by agency inspectors, guaranteeing the permanent non-acquisition of nuclear weapons by Iran, and addressing the issue of Iran's missile tests, which he sees as inseparable from nuclear activities. This deadline is set to expire in about a month on May 22, while Iranian officials have rejected any revision of the nuclear agreement. France, Britain, and Germany, three European allies of the U.S. involved in the nuclear talks, have proposed sanctions due to Iran's missile activities and expressed concerns about its activities in the region. Meanwhile, Russia and China, two other global powers involved in the nuclear agreement, have condemned U.S. actions to change the JCPOA and international treaties. "We need all hard and soft powers" According to Iranian media, Hassan Rouhani, in his remarks on Monday, defended "diplomacy," stating that adopting this approach allowed Iran to speak with "the greatest powers in the world in technical, legal, and political terms." He added that "diplomacy speeds up our path and reduces our costs." The Iranian president also reminded that the Islamic Republic, in addition to diplomacy, "needs all powers... hard and soft..." and added that "for the defense of the country, we will build and create any weapons necessary." According to Rouhani, the construction of such weapons is to maintain the "security" of the country in "this insecure region and world" and not "for aggression and against neighbors." He also mentioned, without naming Saudi Arabia, that "our relations with neighbors will be friendly. Those who speak false and incorrect words will see that these words are not in their favor." Referring to the U.S. president, he addressed the Riyadh leaders, stating, "We have seen many such people in history. For 40 years, various governments have come to power in America. The one who has come today is not a good support for you. Do not rely on them but rely on your nation and the nations of the region." Rouhani's reference is to the extensive consultations of Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, with major global powers to increase pressure on Iran, amid rising tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Crown Prince has taken the harshest and most explicit stances against the policies of the Islamic Republic and Ali Khamenei since coming to power, recently likening the leader of the Islamic Republic to Hitler, emphasizing that his country has common interests with Israel regarding Iran. Salehi: Unilateral adherence to the JCPOA is "unacceptable" Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, also criticized what he called the "bad faith" of the other party in this agreement during the National Nuclear Technology Day ceremony in Tehran, referring to the ten-time confirmation of Iran's adherence to its commitments under the JCPOA by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Salehi stated that "unfortunately, to this day, some of the opposing parties, despite the explicit text of the JCPOA regarding accepting their commitments, have moved towards bad faith, and as a result, the wall of distrust remains intact." He emphasized that "everyone should benefit from the advantages of the JCPOA and its achievements" and that "at the same time, they should fulfill their duties regarding it," rejecting unilateral adherence to the JCPOA. According to Salehi, "it is in no way acceptable for us that the costs of implementing this historic agreement fall on one party while some countries present in this field refuse to fulfill their commitments." The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization warned that "if others change the tune and play another melody, the Islamic Republic of Iran will also make necessary decisions based on the three principles of its foreign policy and will protect its interests based on the discretion of the decision-makers of the Islamic system." In recent days, with about a month remaining until the expiration of Trump's deadline regarding the JCPOA, Salehi threatened that the Islamic Republic would show "a special fist blow" to those who disrupt this agreement. He stated that if the nuclear agreement collapses, Iran could resume 20% enrichment within four days. Although Trump administration officials have confirmed Iran's technical adherence to the nuclear agreement, they accuse Iran of not adhering to the spirit of the JCPOA, as they believe Iran's "destructive and destabilizing" activities in the region contradict the fact that Iran should participate in regional and global peace and stability within the framework of the JCPOA. They also claim that Iran is an untrustworthy government and has crossed established lines multiple times. The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization also claimed that the Islamic Republic's nuclear industry is on the verge of a "fundamental transformation." Salehi mentioned projects such as "the transfer of the first shipment of yellowcake produced at the Ardakan Yazd plant from the Saghand uranium ore to UCF Isfahan, the operation of the mixing process unit at the Shahid Ahmadinejad enrichment complex in Natanz," and "the operation of test loops for fuel 2 and 10 times in the Tehran research reactor" as achievements of Iran's nuclear industry. The announcement of these "achievements" and the emphasis by Iranian officials on pursuing peaceful nuclear activities come at a time when Yossi Cohen, the head of Mossad, recently expressed "100% certainty" that the Islamic Republic's intent in pursuing nuclear programs is still to achieve a "nuclear bomb."