Shamkhani Criticizes Congress's Travel Restriction Legislation to the U.S.

The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council stated that the U.S. Congress's legislation regarding travel restrictions to the U.S. "could have irreparable effects on the process of reciprocal commitments in the implementation of the JCPOA." However, Iranian Foreign Ministry officials expressed hope on Monday that sanctions against Iran would be lifted with the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement in January. According to the state news agency IRNA, Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, said on Monday, December 30, during a meeting with Gerard Larcher, the President of the French Senate, that "some actions and decisions that have recently manifested in the U.S. Congress's legislation have undoubtedly increased misunderstandings and distrust." He emphasized that the U.S. Congress's legislation "could have irreparable effects on the process of reciprocal commitments in the implementation of the JCPOA." The new restrictions in the U.S. visa waiver program, which were approved last Friday as part of the current budget bill and signed by Barack Obama, require citizens of 38 visa-exempt countries traveling to the U.S. to apply for a visa if they have traveled to four countries: Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Sudan. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, reacted to this law on December 28, stating that "unfortunately, Washington's actions carry contradictory messages, most of which are negative." On Monday, Zarif also stated in a joint press conference with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov that the U.S. Congress's legislation has created a "major obstacle" in the path of the Vienna nuclear agreement. He expressed hope that the U.S. government would fulfill its commitments under the Vienna nuclear agreement and "not allow this law to hinder travel to Iran." The U.S. Secretary of State assured in a letter to his Iranian counterpart that the U.S. government would implement the visa restriction law for individuals who have traveled to Iran "in a way that does not create any obstacle for Iran's legitimate economic interests." On Monday, Ali Larijani also described the recent U.S. Congress decision regarding visas for travelers to Iran as a "blow to the nuclear agreement between Iran and the 5+1 countries" and assessed this legislation as "contrary to the provisions of this agreement." However, Abbas Araghchi, a senior member of the nuclear negotiation team, and Hossein Jaberi Ansari, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated that this letter could be a "guarantee" for the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement. Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated on Monday that Mr. Kerry's letter was written after "diplomatic follow-ups and efforts" by the Iranian Foreign Ministry and discussions with European and American officials. He emphasized that for the Islamic Republic, only the implementation of the commitments mentioned in the Vienna nuclear agreement is the "criterion," and internal U.S. issues are "not related" to Iran. Jaberi Ansari also stated regarding the clarification of Iran's commitments under the Vienna nuclear agreement that "the monitoring commission for the implementation of the JCPOA is responsible for overseeing the JCPOA, and decision-making in this regard is not under the jurisdiction of the Foreign Ministry." On Sunday, 102 Iranian parliament members issued a written notice to the Iranian president, considering the recent U.S. House of Representatives legislation as a "clear violation of the JCPOA" and calling for reciprocal action by the Iranian government according to the law. However, on the same day, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry expressed hope that with Mr. Kerry's letter, the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement would "reach a conclusion" in January. According to Jaberi Ansari, "very intensive negotiations" between Iranian experts and the 5+1 group in Vienna are still ongoing and have recently been "accompanied by satisfactory progress towards resolving the last technical and legal points" related to the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement.