Zarif: The JCPOA Does Not Include American Banks

One day after the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran emphasized that "Iran must be allowed to use the U.S. financial system," Iran's Foreign Minister stated that the JCPOA does not include Iran's access to American banks. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, said on Saturday, April 17, "As everyone knew from the beginning, the JCPOA did not and does not include American banks; rather, the issue is about the U.S. not interfering with other banks' cooperation with Iran." According to the IRIB news agency, he made this statement during a joint interview with Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, who was visiting Tehran, adding that "we certainly warned the United States and will exert pressure, and the European Union will do the same to ensure that the U.S. government facilitates the cooperation of non-American banks with the Islamic Republic of Iran." One day before Zarif's remarks, Valiollah Seif, the Governor of the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran, stated that global powers have yet to fulfill their "commitments" under the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). He added that Iran "is still not connected to the global economy" and emphasized that "Iran must be allowed to use the U.S. financial system." On the same day, in response to Seif's comments, Josh Earnest, the White House spokesman, stated that the nuclear agreement or JCPOA did not include Tehran's access to the U.S. financial system, and Washington does not consider such a move to be under review. Valiollah Seif traveled to the U.S. on Wednesday to participate in the IMF's spring meeting and met with the U.S. Treasury Secretary. Mohammad Javad Zarif, referring to Seif's trip, said, "The Governor of the Central Bank of Iran had serious negotiations in Washington with the U.S. Treasury Secretary and our expert delegation with the OPEC expert delegation or the office related to sanctions oversight to ensure that the United States fully fulfills its commitments under the JCPOA." Zarif stated, "The goal of the JCPOA is to provide the Islamic Republic of Iran with access to the international financial system." The Iranian Foreign Minister emphasized, "The United States is committed to not preventing non-American banks - European banks - from having relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran." He concluded, "We and the European Union will pursue this program, and God willing, we will see more tangible results." Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, also accused the Americans of "betrayal" in the JCPOA during his New Year speech in Mashhad, stating that "banking transactions are still problematic." In this context, it has not been committed that Iran will gain access to the U.S. financial system under the JCPOA. The unresolved issue of dollar transactions will "damage the JCPOA." Seif: The U.S. and Europe have not fulfilled their commitments under the nuclear agreement. The meeting between the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran and the U.S. Treasury Secretary. The changing battlefield of "proxy wars"; the war against the people in the streets of Iran. The first paragraph; the responsibility of the opposition and the possibility of radicalizing Iranian society. The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis.