Shamkhani: No Re-negotiation on JCPOA Under Any Circumstances

Iranian officials criticized the U.S. approach towards the nuclear agreement, once again rejecting the possibility of renegotiating the JCPOA and discussing Iran's missile program. Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, stated in a television interview on Tuesday, January 23, that the discussion about revising the JCPOA is 'an outrageous statement stemming from the delusions of the American president.' He asserted that 'the recent actions of the U.S. to challenge the JCPOA are illegal, and there is no possibility of renegotiating this complete and indivisible document under any circumstances.' The Trump administration considers the JCPOA a weak and even 'catastrophic' agreement and is attempting to make changes to it. In this context, Donald Trump has warned that if the European Union and the U.S. Congress do not amend the agreement, Washington will withdraw from it. These amendments, from Washington's perspective, should allow for immediate inspections of all facilities desired by international inspectors in Iran, lead to the permanent limitation of Iran's nuclear capabilities, and ultimately include Tehran's ballistic missile program. However, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council emphasized that the Islamic Republic will not accept any negotiations regarding its missile capabilities and that there is consensus among the country's officials on this matter. Shamkhani stated, 'The missile capability of the Islamic Republic of Iran is entirely indigenous and derived from the experience of eight years of sacred defense and the victimization of the Iranian people in meeting the basic needs for defense against aggression, and it will continue its evolution within the framework of deterrence against threats with strength.' On the same day, the Mehr News Agency reported statements from Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the Iranian government's spokesperson, who said that the Islamic Republic will not negotiate with anyone regarding its missile capabilities. He stated, 'No one has the right to interfere in our country's affairs. We do not negotiate with anyone on this matter because the defense capabilities of the country are the rights of the Iranian people. Just because someone raises something about it in a meeting does not mean we are ready to negotiate on this.' Nobakht's remarks referred to a recent meeting between Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, and EU officials, where Iran's missile program was discussed alongside the nuclear agreement. The European Union emphasizes that it takes the issue of Iran's missile program seriously and that it must be resolved, but separately from the nuclear agreement. Some reports indicate that Germany is consulting with its European allies to impose new sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran to prevent the U.S. from withdrawing from the JCPOA.