Zarif and Kerry to Discuss JCPOA in New York

According to Iranian news agencies, Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister, who left for New York early on Monday, April 30, is scheduled to meet with John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, to discuss the JCPOA. Hossein Jaberi Ansari, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated that the purpose of Zarif's trip is to participate in the signing ceremony of the climate change agreement, which was reached last December among countries in the capital of France. Jaberi Ansari also added that the Iranian Foreign Minister 'in addition to meeting and discussing with several officials from other countries present at the ceremony, will meet with John Kerry and discuss the implementation of the JCPOA.' The meeting and discussion regarding the implementation of the 'Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action' between the foreign ministers of the two countries comes at a time when the head of the Central Bank of Iran has also recently held discussions behind closed doors with the U.S. Treasury Secretary. Valiollah Seif, the head of the Central Bank of Iran, stated in a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations in the U.S. that Iran 'is still not connected to the global economy' and emphasized that 'Iran should be allowed to use the U.S. financial system.' The U.S. claims it is committed to implementing the JCPOA, but the White House spokesman stated on April 17 that the nuclear agreement does not include Tehran's access to the U.S. financial system, and the United States does not consider such a move to be under review. The White House spokesman said that Iran is mistaken about the lifting of sanctions and their impact on access to the U.S. financial system or the use of the dollar in its foreign transactions. The Iranian Foreign Minister also stated that the nuclear agreement does not include the use of American banks. Nevertheless, the Iranian Foreign Ministry, in a recent report to the parliament regarding the implementation of the nuclear agreement, in addition to announcing the deposit of part of Iran's 'oil revenues,' criticized the U.S. for 'making excuses, obstructing, and delaying' the lifting of sanctions. In recent days, criticism from the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and his conservative supporters regarding the implementation of the JCPOA has increased. According to Mehr News Agency, in addition to Zarif, Abbas Araghchi and Majid Takht-Ravanchi, deputies, and Hossein Jaberi Ansari, the spokesman for the ministry, are accompanying the Foreign Minister on his trip to New York.