Rouhani: We Will Not Overlook America's Violations and Will Stand Against Them

While American officials claim that non-nuclear sanctions are separate from the JCPOA issue, the President of Iran described the new U.S. sanctions as "in conflict" with the "spirit and text" of the Vienna nuclear agreement and stated, "We will not overlook America's violations and will stand against them." Hassan Rouhani emphasized that "we should not play in America's field," calling for the utilization of the atmosphere created after the Vienna nuclear agreement, asserting that Iran will adhere to its commitments under this agreement. According to the state news agency IRNA, Mr. Rouhani stated on Wednesday, July 18, during a cabinet meeting that the Iranian "nation" will provide an "appropriate response" to the new U.S. sanctions, and the Iranian parliament will pass laws in response to the U.S. Congress's decisions. He added, "We will not overlook America's violations and will stand against them, but at the same time, we must be careful about how to take advantage of this created atmosphere." Rouhani's remarks about "America's violations" come as U.S. officials state that the intensification of non-nuclear sanctions is due to "Iran's destabilizing actions in the region" and is outside the scope of the JCPOA. Previously, Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, criticized the nuclear agreement with Iran, stating that the mistake made during the achievement of the nuclear agreement was ignoring all other serious threats posed by Iran, aside from the nuclear threat. On Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury Department added 18 individuals and entities to its sanctions list for supporting the ballistic missile activities of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Shortly after, the Iranian Foreign Ministry criticized this U.S. action and announced that it would take reciprocal action. Tehran is accused of repeatedly conducting ballistic missile tests, which can be used to carry nuclear warheads, despite UN Security Council Resolution 2231. This resolution, issued after the Vienna nuclear agreement to endorse it, calls on Iran to refrain from developing ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Iran argues that its missile tests do not contradict the nuclear agreement, asserting that "the tested missiles were not tested for the purpose of carrying nuclear warheads." On Sunday, the Iranian parliament approved the generalities of a bill in response to the U.S. Senate's decision, but the details of this bill are still under review. Recently, the U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new sanctions bill against the Islamic Republic of Iran, known as the "Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities" bill. Some officials of the Islamic Republic consider the U.S. actions, including the approval of new sanctions, as a "violation" of the Vienna nuclear agreement by this country. However, Iranian Foreign Ministry officials, while protesting the new U.S. sanctions, have acknowledged that the new sanctions do not violate the Vienna nuclear agreement and are a continuation of the "primary" sanctions that have been in place since the early years after the 1979 revolution. A day before the U.S. Treasury Department's statement, the Trump administration confirmed Iran's compliance with the terms of the Vienna nuclear agreement but stated that Tehran is not loyal to the spirit of the mentioned nuclear agreement. Meanwhile, Rouhani stated that U.S. government officials "on the one hand report to Congress that Iran has been fully committed to its obligations and... on the other hand are seeking to impose a series of new sanctions that are incompatible with any logic and the spirit and text of the JCPOA." He accused the U.S. of acting in a "conspiracy" to make it appear that "Iran has abandoned its commitments and is not loyal to its signature." Rouhani added, "We must be vigilant not to play in America's field and at the same time remain committed to our obligations and continue our path of progress." The Iranian President also called for the utilization of the atmosphere created after the Vienna nuclear agreement, referring to Iran's economic contracts with other countries, and accused his opponents of being "upset" about the government's use of this space. Some close associates of the Supreme Leader and some conservatives oppose economic contracts following the Vienna nuclear agreement. Last week, opponents of Iran's gas contract with the French company Total presented an unprecedented three-urgency plan to annul this contract, which ultimately was removed from the parliament's agenda due to a lack of sufficient signatories. In his remarks on Wednesday, Rouhani also considered the U.S. presence in the region as "causing increased disputes and conflicts" and stated that this country has failed to take "specific action" against terrorist groups in the region. Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson dismissed the U.S. State Department spokesperson's claims about "Iran destabilizing the region" as "baseless and unfounded." Bahram Qasemi also stated that "the serious and real threat to the security, stability, and development of our region is the U.S. interventions in the affairs of countries aimed at destabilization and insecurity for specific purposes." Heather Nauert, the U.S. State Department spokesperson, stated on Tuesday that the Trump administration, while confirming Iran's compliance with the Vienna nuclear agreement, still believes that some of the Islamic Republic's actions contradict certain objectives outlined in the agreement regarding participation in creating peace and regional stability. Nauert referred to issues such as "the development of ballistic missile programs," "support for terrorism and militancy," "support for the brutality of the [Bashar al-Assad] regime against its own people," "emphasis on hostility towards Israel," "ongoing threats to freedom of navigation, especially in the Persian Gulf," and "cyberattacks against the United States." Previously, U.S. officials had deemed some actions, including Iran's missile tests and the visit of the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to Syria, Iraq, and Russia, as violations of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which was issued in connection with this agreement.