Zarif: Europe, Russia, and China Want to Preserve the JCPOA

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, said in an interview with CNN on Friday that European countries, China, and Russia want to preserve the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in response to Donald Trump's remarks about the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers. Christiane Amanpour, a CNN journalist, asked Zarif: "When Donald Trump, the President of the United States, says the nuclear agreement is the worst deal I have ever seen and I want the JCPOA to be renegotiated, what is your reaction?" Zarif responded by saying: "First of all, I think this agreement was the best possible agreement for all parties, not just for Iran but for the U.S. as well. I am sure they tried to reach another agreement, but this was the only possible agreement. We also had our preferences. However, they agreed on a middle ground." Zarif further added: "I think this is a good agreement, but no one is completely satisfied with it." Amanpour then asked: "When Trump says we need to renegotiate the nuclear deal with Iran, what do you hear from Tehran, especially from European countries?" Zarif replied, "I think everyone, including American experts, knows that this was the best possible agreement for all parties, especially in Europe. European countries played an important role in achieving the nuclear agreement. European countries, Britain, France, and Germany, the European Union, as well as Russia and China, have stated that the JCPOA is not subject to renegotiation or revision." The U.S. President emphasized in a joint press conference with the Israeli Prime Minister on Wednesday that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is a priority and stated that Iran's nuclear ambitions will be countered. Trump added: "One of the worst deals I have ever seen is this deal with Iran. My administration has currently imposed sanctions on Iran, and further actions will be taken to prevent Iran – I mean always – from acquiring nuclear weapons." Iran and six world powers reached an agreement in 2015 to resolve years of tension over Tehran's nuclear activities, which led to the significant lifting of international sanctions against Iran. Trump had also stated during last year's presidential campaign that the deal with Iran was "the worst deal possible" and that if he came to power, he would tear it up. U.S. officials, including Rex Tillerson, the Secretary of State, have announced a "complete review" of this agreement, while Iranian officials have described the Vienna agreement as an international contract and stated that it is not subject to revision. Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, said last week that in her meeting with members of Trump's administration, she was assured that the new U.S. government is committed to the "full implementation of the nuclear agreement with Iran." In another part of the interview, Zarif referred to Trump's immigration order and the travel ban for Iranian citizens, describing it as "an insult to the entire Iranian nation." Zarif further assessed this order as contrary to the policies of previous U.S. administrations regarding Iranian citizens and stated: "Iranians are among the most successful immigrants in America." Zarif's reference is to the order issued on January 27 by Trump, which banned the entry of citizens from seven countries, including Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen, into the United States for 90 days. This order has been suspended by a court ruling. Trump administration officials had previously stated that they did not decide specifically to include these countries on this list. The countries on this list had previously been included in the "countries of special concern" list during Barack Obama's administration due to their support for terrorism. The U.S. State Department considers the Iranian government one of the main supporters of terrorism. In this context, Tillerson denied reports about the U.S. intention to withdraw from the nuclear agreement with Iran.