Salehi Warns: We Will Halt the Additional Protocol if the JCPOA is Abrogated

In response to the announcement of the new U.S. strategy towards Tehran, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization emphasized that reverting to the previous nuclear program could take only a few hours in some cases, warning that if the JCPOA is canceled, the Islamic Republic will stop implementing the Additional Protocol. According to the IRIB news agency, Ali Akbar Salehi stated on Saturday evening, October 14, in a television program: "If the JCPOA falls apart, we will stop implementing the Additional Protocol because we are currently implementing it voluntarily and it has not yet been approved by the parliament." He stressed that if the Vienna nuclear agreement is canceled, the implementation of this protocol would be "meaningless." Salehi also mentioned, "We do not want to enter a challenging field and we declare that we should not be forced to react." Under the Additional Protocol of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which Iran accepted voluntarily in the Lausanne nuclear agreement and later in the final nuclear agreement in Vienna, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are allowed to conduct surprise inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities whenever deemed necessary. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also stated hours after Donald Trump's speech 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." Trump announced on Friday that based on credible information he has received, he is unable to confirm Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement. Following Trump's declaration of Iran's non-compliance with the JCPOA, the U.S. Congress will have 60 days to decide on imposing new sanctions on Iran. In response to these remarks, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization stated that the Islamic Republic's readiness for a potential U.S. decision is "immediate" and "we will not sleep to wake up in 60 days." He announced that if the Vienna nuclear agreement is canceled, the Islamic Republic could increase enrichment at the Fordow facility to 20% within four days. According to Salehi, resuming some of Iran's nuclear programs could take a few hours, while others could take several months or even a year and a few months. He added: "Whenever the monitoring board of the JCPOA gives an order, we will act accordingly, but I hope the other side comes to its senses; we are interested in keeping the JCPOA intact." According to the Vienna nuclear agreement, no enrichment should take place at the Fordow facility near Qom for 15 years, but Iran can maintain about a thousand centrifuges for other purposes at this facility. The agreement also stipulates that Iran's enrichment capacity at the Natanz facility should not exceed 5,060 centrifuges for the next ten years. The international redesign of the Arak heavy water reactor, reduction of uranium stockpiles, and regular oversight by the IAEA were also among the negotiated points. In this television program, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization also described the U.S. president's remarks as "unpleasant," "vulgar," "inappropriate," "trivial," and "full of lies." Salehi attributed these statements to what he called "turmoil" in the U.S. government due to frequent changes among officials and added that "unfortunately, the threats from some regional countries have also added to this turmoil." The head of the Atomic Energy Organization did not provide further explanations regarding the "threats from some regional countries." Besides Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia are among the most important U.S. allies in the region that have expressed concerns about Iran's nuclear program and the Vienna nuclear agreement. Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia remain tense, exacerbated by the Syrian civil war and recent battles in Yemen. The U.S. president also severely criticized the actions of the Revolutionary Guard in the region and beyond, allowing the Treasury Department to add this entity to its sanctions list. Iranian officials have supported the Revolutionary Guard in response to these remarks. Among them, Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, head of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, also attacked Trump's statements while stating that one should not give him "an excuse." Trump has repeatedly stated that the Islamic Republic has not adhered to the "spirit of the nuclear agreement," which is to alleviate Western concerns about threats from Iran, due to its continued missile activities. On Friday, he emphasized that the Iranian people have paid a heavy price because of their leaders' behavior and expressed hope that new measures would lead to a reconsideration of Iran's behavior and to peace and stability in the region.