Zarif: Full Implementation of US Congress Visa Legislation Violates JCPOA

Iran's Foreign Minister says that if the US Congress's visa restriction legislation is implemented 'as is', it will 'definitely' violate the nuclear agreement in Vienna. However, if the US government utilizes its capabilities as promised in the letter from its Secretary of State, it will not obstruct the implementation of the JCPOA. According to the state news agency IRNA, Mohammad Javad Zarif stated on Wednesday, December 23, that Iran is 'facing' the US government as the representative of the entire US, and 'internal decision-making cannot exempt any government from its international obligations.' Zarif described the letter from his American counterpart regarding this legislation as 'noteworthy' and added, 'This is a policy announcement by the US government; we must see how this policy is implemented.' The Iranian Foreign Minister stated that if the US Congress law is 'behaved' as is, it will 'definitely' violate the Vienna nuclear agreement, but if the US government, as its Secretary of State announced, 'utilizes its capabilities,' it will not prevent the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement. Zarif emphasized, 'We must see how this law is implemented, and then we can decide whether a violation has occurred or not.' On Monday, December 21, Zarif had also stated that the US Congress's legislation has created a 'major obstacle' in the path of the Vienna nuclear agreement. The new restrictions in the US visa waiver program, which were approved on December 17 as part of the current budget bill and signed by Barack Obama, require citizens from 38 visa-exempt countries traveling to the US to apply for a visa if they have traveled to Iran, Iraq, Syria, or Sudan. John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, assured in a letter to his Iranian counterpart that the US government would implement the visa restriction law for individuals who have traveled to Iran in a way that 'does not create any obstacles for Iran's legitimate economic interests.' Meanwhile, Zarif mentioned that over the past ten days, in addition to a face-to-face meeting with Kerry in New York, 'dozens of emails and calls' have been exchanged between the foreign ministers of the two countries regarding this law, and there have also been contacts with the European Union on this matter. Iranian Foreign Ministry officials have recently expressed concern about the potential violation of the Vienna nuclear agreement due to the US Congress's legislation while also hoping that this agreement will be implemented in January. However, 102 Iranian parliament members have issued a written notice to the Iranian president, considering this legislation a 'clear violation of the JCPOA' and calling for reciprocal action by the Iranian government according to the law. On Wednesday, the Foreign Minister stated that the oversight board for the JCPOA, which was previously established by the decree of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, and in the Supreme National Security Council, will review this letter in its first session and will 'decide' on it.