Zarif: American Election Campaigns Regarding JCPOA Should Not Be Taken Seriously

Iran's Foreign Minister states that the JCPOA is a legal commitment of the U.S. government and is unrelated to who is in the White House. Mohammad Javad Zarif also mentioned that claims made during the U.S. election campaign should not be taken seriously. Recently, the nuclear agreement with Iran has been a focal point in the campaign speeches of presidential candidates in the U.S., with Donald Trump emphasizing that his main priority is to cancel this agreement, and Ted Cruz comparing it to the Munich Agreement. Another Republican candidate, John Kasich, expressed his preference to suspend the nuclear deal in response to recent missile tests in Iran. These three comments were made by Republican figures at the annual AIPAC conference, and in Iran, Ahmad Khatami, the Friday prayer leader in Tehran, referred to these statements as 'insulting to the Iranian nation.' Khatami stated that those proposing 'JCPOA 2 and 3' and those who place their hopes in the West should pay attention to what the U.S. presidential candidates say and see how they 'insult the Iranian nation.' However, Mohammad Javad Zarif emphasized in an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting that the candidates' claims during the election campaign should not be taken seriously, as he believes 'the JCPOA is a legal commitment of the U.S. government and is unrelated to who is in the White House.' Zarif asserted that 'the U.S. government is obliged to fulfill its commitments, not just on paper but in practice.' He expressed regret over the recent comments by U.S. candidates regarding the JCPOA, attributing these remarks to the influence of 'Zionist propaganda in America' and added that 'they are making slogans and should not be paid attention to.' In addition to the three Republican candidates who criticized the nuclear agreement at AIPAC, Hillary Clinton also addressed the JCPOA in her speech to this powerful pro-Israel lobby. Clinton defended the nuclear agreement at the AIPAC conference but added that Tehran will be held accountable for any violation, and if necessary, force will be used in this regard. The U.S. presidential election will be held this fall, and in less than 10 months, Barack Obama will hand over to a new president, which has reflected in the comments of some figures and personalities in the Islamic Republic regarding how the next U.S. administration will deal with the nuclear agreement. However, Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, has not even considered the Obama administration committed to implementing the JCPOA and, in his Nowruz speech in Mashhad, accused the U.S. government of 'betrayal regarding the JCPOA,' stating that the Americans 'committed on paper' but 'prevented the objectives of the Islamic Republic through various means.' He elaborated on this 'betrayal' by saying that 'bank transactions are still problematic. The return of our wealth in their banks is problematic, and when we ask, we see that banks are afraid of the Americans.' Ayatollah Khamenei continued that sanctions have been lifted on paper 'but they act in such a way that the effect of lifting sanctions does not materialize and has no impact at all.' Meanwhile, Barack Obama, the U.S. President, in his Nowruz message, referring to the lifting of sanctions as part of the nuclear agreement, stated that it may take some time for the Iranian people to feel the benefits of the lifted sanctions in their daily lives, but these benefits are undeniable.