Zarif: Europeans Must Provide Guarantees to Iran Regarding JCPOA

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, on the first day of his tour to negotiate the fate of the JCPOA in China, emphasized on Sunday that Europeans must guarantee Iran's interests in the agreement. Upon his arrival in Beijing on Sunday, 23 Ordibehesht, Zarif deemed discussions with Chinese officials about the future of the JCPOA as 'important' and stated: 'China is one of Iran's closest friends, and today I will discuss the decision Iran is going to make regarding the guarantees that other members of the 1+5 will provide after the U.S. withdrawal concerning the implementation of the JCPOA and receiving Iran's benefits from it.' Zarif noted that Europe wants Iran to remain in the JCPOA, saying: 'European countries must guarantee me that despite the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, the interests of the Iranian nation will still be preserved.' Donald Trump, the U.S. President, withdrew from the international JCPOA on Tuesday, 18 Ordibehesht, announcing that U.S. sanctions would be enforced more severely against Iran. In response to the U.S. exit, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated: 'If at the end of this short period we conclude that we can achieve all that benefits the Iranian nation through cooperation with the five member countries of the JCPOA... the JCPOA will remain sustainable.' While European countries, Russia, and China have announced their commitment to the JCPOA, Rouhani also mentioned on Sunday during a meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart in Tehran that if the other parties to the JCPOA 'fulfill their commitments and guarantee to the Iranian side that Iran's interests will be realized with the continuation of the JCPOA,' this agreement will remain. The European Union previously stated in a declaration that as long as Iran adheres to this agreement, it will not reinstate its sanctions. However, Ayatollah Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, has strongly criticized the U.S. and emphasized that he does not 'trust' the Europeans either, conditioning any agreement with them on receiving guarantees from them. After meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Iran's Foreign Minister will travel to Russia and then participate in a meeting on Tuesday with the foreign ministers of France, Germany, the UK, and Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief.