Zarif in Interview with CNN: IAEA Has Confirmed Iran's Compliance with JCPOA Seven Times

Iran's Foreign Minister rejected the accusations of four American senators claiming that the Islamic Republic is not adhering to the nuclear agreement in Vienna, stating that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed Iran's compliance with the agreement seven times. Mohammad Javad Zarif, in an interview with CNN regarding the letter from the four American senators, said that according to the nuclear agreement, the IAEA is the 'only acceptable authority' for monitoring the technical aspects of Iran's actions. He announced that the IAEA has emphasized seven times that Iran has been 'fully compliant with its commitments under the JCPOA.' Yukiya Amano, the IAEA Director General, has stated in his reports that Iran has adhered to its commitments under the nuclear agreement. However, four Republican senators on Tuesday, July 20, attempted to persuade U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to reject the Vienna nuclear agreement in a letter. These senators stated that U.S. interests are 'best served by a vigilant response to Iran's violations of the JCPOA and the aggressive and destabilizing behavior of this regime.' The signatories of this letter include Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, David Perdue, and Ted Cruz. Previously, U.S. officials had deemed some actions, including Iran's missile tests and the visit of the commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guard to Syria, Iraq, and Russia, as violations of UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which is related to this agreement. U.S. President Donald Trump also stated in May that Iran is not acting in accordance with the spirit of the 'nuclear agreement' with six world powers, and the U.S. government would closely examine this issue. Trump added, 'They must act according to the spirit of the nuclear agreement. We will see what happens.' However, Iran's foreign minister stated that the Islamic Republic has 'honestly and fully complied' with the Vienna nuclear agreement, but the U.S. has 'failed to fulfill its part of the agreement.' Zarif commented that the White House's statement regarding Trump's efforts to dissuade G20 leaders from trade relations with Iran 'violates not only the spirit of the agreement but also the text of the JCPOA.' The U.S. government is required to inform Congress every 90 days about Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement, and it is predicted that although the Trump administration will remain skeptical about the Tehran nuclear agreement, it is 'likely' to certify Iran's compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for another period. Trump, who was a critic of the Tehran nuclear agreement during his presidential campaign, has repeatedly described the JCPOA as a very bad agreement after taking office and emphasized that 'Iran was on its knees and collapsing, but the U.S. saved it with the nuclear agreement.' Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, had stated before his appointment that he would conduct a 'comprehensive review' of the nuclear agreement with Iran but did not request that the agreement be rejected. However, as the U.S. is undergoing a comprehensive review of its policies toward Iran, Tillerson recently stated in one of the House sessions that after studying the JCPOA, he found the nuclear agreement with Iran to be a 'weak agreement.' He had previously emphasized in April that the mistake made during the achievement of the nuclear agreement with Iran was that all other serious threats posed by Iran, aside from the nuclear threat, were overlooked. Iran's missile program and its role in creating instability in the region are cited as other serious threats arising from Tehran's behavior. Recently, the U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new sanctions bill against the Islamic Republic of Iran, known as the 'Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act.' This bill proposes mandatory sanctions against any individual or entity associated with Iran's ballistic missile program and also against commercial parties involved in this program, which will become law after being approved by the House of Representatives and signed by the U.S. President. Some Iranian officials have deemed U.S. actions, including the approval of new sanctions against Iran, as a 'violation' of the Vienna nuclear agreement by the U.S. However, Iranian Foreign Ministry officials have acknowledged that the new sanctions do not violate the Vienna nuclear agreement and are a continuation of the 'primary' sanctions imposed by the U.S. since the early years after the 1979 revolution. In this context, the Trump administration is 'likely' to certify Iran's compliance with the JCPOA for another 90 days. A former member of the nuclear negotiation team stated that there should not be a hasty reaction to the Senate's resolution. New sanctions against Iran were approved in the U.S. Senate. Rex Tillerson welcomed the Senate's sanctions against Iran. Trump stated that Iran will never be allowed access to nuclear weapons. The U.S. extended the suspension of Iran's nuclear sanctions while increasing missile sanctions. The U.S. Director of National Intelligence stated that Iran seeks to maintain the nuclear agreement. Federica Mogherini emphasized Iran's current compliance with its nuclear commitments.