Zarif: After the Resolution is Implemented, the U.S. is Obligated to Lift Sanctions

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, stated in a televised interview that there is a gap between the approval and implementation of the nuclear agreement. According to him, the United States is obligated to lift sanctions against Iran after the United Nations Security Council resolution. On Farvardin 15, in an interview with Iran's state television Channel One, he mentioned that the sanctions against Iran are divided into three parts: Security Council sanctions, EU sanctions, and U.S. sanctions. The head of the Iranian nuclear negotiation team stated that the Security Council resolutions will be removed from the day of the agreement, and the Council will only oversee the implementation of the agreement. He added that if the agreement is implemented and approved by the Security Council, the discussion raised by Republicans in Congress that any agreement with Obama would only be valid until the end of his presidency would be nullified. Last month, 47 Republican senators warned in an open letter to Iranian leaders that any nuclear agreement with the U.S. government, without the approval of Congress, would not last beyond Obama's presidency. Zarif further stated that on the day the resolution is approved, both parties must take actions, and there is a gap between the approval and implementation of the agreement. He emphasized that once the resolution is implemented and the International Atomic Energy Agency confirms that Tehran has taken the necessary actions, the U.S. is obligated to lift the financial and economic sanctions it has imposed on Iran. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has also emphasized that 'the final agreement will not be based on promises but on evidence and documentation.' Zarif mentioned that EU sanctions will be lifted upon reaching a final agreement. He stated that what the U.S. has said about how the sanctions will be lifted contradicts the results achieved in the Lausanne negotiations. The Iranian Foreign Minister also noted that the EU has protested to Washington regarding what he termed 'the false statements' of U.S. officials. In another part of the televised interview, Zarif discussed the number of centrifuges, stating that in the 'draft' statement between him and Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, the number of active Iranian centrifuges was mentioned. This number is 'more than five thousand centrifuges in Natanz and over a thousand centrifuges in Fordow.' According to the Iranian Foreign Minister, enrichment will not take place in Fordow, and 'the system's decision' is for those centrifuges to remain in Fordow. Zarif also stated that Tehran is not seeking hegemony in the region but aims to establish relations with its neighbors. He noted that Iran's nuclear program had raised concerns among its neighbors, asserting that Tehran does not solve its problems at the expense of its neighbors. Iran and some neighboring countries have had disputes that have sometimes led to harsh statements from both sides. Issues such as Syria and Iran's support for Bashar al-Assad or Yemen and Iran's support for Houthi rebels are among these matters. Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the U.S., recently stated in an interview with CNN that Riyadh does not rule out the possibility of acquiring nuclear weapons to balance against 'nuclear-armed Iran.' Iranian officials have consistently emphasized that Tehran's nuclear program is pursued solely for peaceful purposes and that they do not intend to develop nuclear weapons.