Rouhani's Reaction to New U.S. Strategy: Iran Will Remain in JCPOA as Long as Its Interests Are Met

In response to U.S. President's announcement of Iran's non-compliance with the JCPOA, Hassan Rouhani stated that if Iran's interests in the Vienna nuclear agreement are not met and the other party takes action regarding this agreement, the Islamic Republic "will not hesitate for a moment and will respond." The Iranian President announced in a live televised speech on Friday night, October 21, that the Islamic Republic will adhere to this agreement as long as it benefits from the Vienna nuclear deal. He also mentioned that if one day the interests of the Islamic Republic are not met, "Iran will not hesitate for a moment and will respond to them." Just hours before these remarks, the U.S. President announced that "if we cannot amend the nuclear agreement with the cooperation of Congress and allies, we will end it." In response, Mr. Rouhani stated that the Vienna nuclear agreement is a treaty confirmed by a UN Security Council resolution and "is not a bilateral document between Iran and the U.S." that the U.S. can act upon as it wishes. He emphasized that "no clause or provision will be added or removed from the JCPOA." Hours before the U.S. President's speech, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson had also stated that "Iran's options are very broad" and "if necessary" include "ending all commitments" regarding the nuclear agreement. The Iranian Foreign Minister had previously stated that "the JCPOA is not Iran's only option," and that U.S. officials' options "are not infinite and Iran's options are not limited." Mr. Trump, in his remarks on Friday, asserted that based on credible information he has received, he cannot confirm Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement. The U.S. President also harshly criticized the actions of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the region and beyond, and for supporting terrorist activities, allowing the Treasury Department to add this entity to its sanctions list. In this context, Hassan Rouhani criticized what he described as Donald Trump's "rude tone" towards the IRGC, calling it a force that is "fighting terrorism" in the region. He accused the U.S. of having "created regional wars." At the beginning of his speech, the Iranian President also stated that the U.S. President "had nothing to say but insults and baseless accusations," and urged Donald Trump to "read better regarding history and geography, as well as international commitments and regarding manners and global and international norms." Mr. Rouhani also responded to the U.S. President's remarks by questioning whether "the Iranian government is a dictatorship, or the U.S.-backed governments that are run tribally and have never seen the color of elections." This was a reaction to the U.S. President's comments recalling events such as the occupation of the U.S. embassy in Tehran in 1979, stating that "the aggressions of the Iranian dictatorship have continued to this day" and that "the biggest victims of the Iranian regime are the people of this country." In another part of his remarks, he stated that the Iranian nation was "not surprised" by the U.S. President's comments that night, but these remarks "united the nation more" and cannot create a distance between the nation and the government and leader of Iran. Regarding a phone call between Rouhani and the President of France, the Iranian presidential website reported that Hassan Rouhani and the French President emphasized the continued adherence of both parties to the Vienna nuclear agreement, with Emmanuel Macron stating that the European Union and France "firmly defend the JCPOA." According to this report, Hassan Rouhani, in a phone call with the French President on Friday night, referring to the possible U.S. decision regarding the Vienna nuclear agreement, stated that "mixing multilateral and international commitments with internal disputes in the U.S. can be very dangerous for global trust." He reiterated that "the JCPOA is in no way negotiable" and added that "the U.S. President or Congress should not be allowed to take wrongful actions against the JCPOA." Mr. Rouhani stated: "Unfortunately, a government in the U.S. is in power that does not want to adhere not only to the JCPOA but also to some other international commitments and regulations, and this approach seriously damages the essence of the negotiation table in the global arena." He also announced that the European Union and Iran must work together to "stand against destructive and wrongful actions against the JCPOA." In this regard, based on the report from the Iranian presidential website, the French President has asked Iran to "continue its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency despite Washington's efforts and to adhere to its commitments in the JCPOA." Emmanuel Macron stated that the European Union and France "firmly defend the JCPOA and are committed to its full implementation." According to this report, the French President also described the White House's policies regarding the JCPOA as "stemming from internal disputes in Washington" and once again urged Washington to adhere to its commitments. Shortly after this report, the leaders of Germany, France, and Britain issued a joint statement in response to the new U.S. strategy, warning against actions that could harm the nuclear agreement, including the re-imposition of sanctions. Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, also stated after Mr. Trump's speech that ending the JCPOA is not dependent on the decision of one country, and emphasized that a collective process is now needed to preserve the JCPOA. With the announcement of Iran's non-compliance with the JCPOA by Donald Trump, the U.S. Congress will have 60 days to decide on the imposition of new sanctions against Iran.