US Treasury Emphasizes Iran's 'Significant Benefit' from Lifting Sanctions

On the first anniversary of the signing of the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA, the US Treasury Secretary issued a statement highlighting the 'significant benefit' that the Islamic Republic has gained from the lifting of nuclear sanctions over the past year. According to a report by AFP citing Jack Lew, the US Treasury Secretary, Iran has significantly increased its crude oil exports and opened over 300 accounts in foreign banks with billions of dollars in credit during this year. In an official statement released on Thursday, July 15, Lew emphasized that the United States has adhered to its 'commitments' under the JCPOA. This point was also stressed earlier by Barack Obama in his statement on the same occasion. The US President stated in a statement released by the White House on Thursday, marking the anniversary of the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, that the United States and global powers have 'fulfilled all their commitments to lift sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program.' Obama added, 'As long as Iran remains faithful to the [nuclear] agreement, we will continue to fulfill our commitments.' This comes as several Iranian officials, including Ayatollah Khamenei, accuse the United States of not fulfilling all its commitments under the nuclear agreement. However, there are also officials in the Islamic Republic, including President Hassan Rouhani and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, head of the Expediency Council, who have recently acknowledged that the JCPOA has not been entirely negative and, according to Jack Lew, has had benefits for Iran. Nevertheless, the US Treasury Secretary emphasized another point in his statement that will undoubtedly provoke a negative reaction from Iranian officials. Jack Lew stated that the JCPOA did not address US concerns 'outside the nuclear realm' and 'was not intended to do so,' and for this reason, the US will continue to exert pressure on Tehran through sanctions in the areas of missile development and terrorism. Recently, Iran has also faced criticism from the UN Secretary-General due to its missile tests. However, the Islamic Republic has consistently rejected these criticisms.