Salehi: If Only the U.S. Withdraws from the JCPOA, Iran Will Likely Remain Committed

Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, stated that if only the United States withdraws from the nuclear agreement with six world powers, known as the JCPOA, and the other five countries remain committed, Tehran will likely adhere to the agreement. In an interview with the German magazine Spiegel published on Friday, September 8, he said: 'If the U.S. withdraws from the agreement, but all the countries involved in this agreement, namely France, Britain, Russia, China, and Germany, remain committed, Iran will likely remain committed as well.' He added that if the U.S. withdraws and European countries follow suit, the agreement will collapse, and Iran will revert to the pre-agreement era. According to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was agreed upon in July 2015 between Iran and six world powers, Iran halted many of its nuclear activities in exchange for the suspension or lifting of nuclear sanctions against it. Salehi accused the U.S. of trying to prevent foreign investors and companies from entering the Iranian market by scaring them. He further stated that if the U.S. acts on its statements against the nuclear agreement, we will face different conditions... If the U.S. refuses to extend the suspension of nuclear sanctions against Iran, it will be a significant action and a violation of its commitments. He also emphasized that if the JCPOA is violated, we will face economic problems, but we will have political achievements. We will tell the youth of the country not to trust the West anymore, as we showed flexibility, and the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed our full compliance, but the Americans violated the agreement. Donald Trump, the U.S. president who opposes the nuclear agreement, has called for a review of the agreement and has tasked a team with this job. According to the JCPOA, the U.S. president must report Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement to Congress every 90 days and suspend nuclear sanctions against Iran. The Trump administration, which took office last January, has confirmed Iran's compliance with the Vienna agreement twice in reports to Congress, but some reports indicate that it may not confirm it in October. In this context, Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, stated on Tuesday that if Trump reports to Congress in October that Iran has not complied with the nuclear agreement, it does not mean that Washington is withdrawing from the JCPOA. In such a case, Congress has 60 days to decide on Iran's sanctions. The Associated Press reported on July 27, citing senior U.S. officials, that Trump is seeking discussions with European countries to establish a new agreement that could prevent the development of Iran's nuclear program even after the expiration of the JCPOA. According to this report, the U.S. president is also trying to inspect 'suspicious' military sites in Iran.