Zarif: The U.S. Will Ultimately Adhere to the JCPOA

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, states that the Trump administration will ultimately adhere to the Vienna nuclear agreement. In a report by Reuters, Zarif, who traveled to Norway to participate in the Oslo Forum, said: "Unfortunately, the behavior of the new government in Washington is not very promising." Speaking to reporters after meeting with his Norwegian counterpart, he added: "We believe that in the end, they will understand that it is essential to adhere to this agreement." Donald Trump, the President of the United States, previously called the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran a "disaster" and the "worst deal" ever, stating he would withdraw from it. Zarif continued: "I believe that the U.S. government will realize that it is in the interest of the U.S. and global peace and security to fulfill its commitments [regarding the JCPOA]." Meanwhile, a report from the IRNA news agency indicates that upon arriving in Oslo, Zarif reacted to the new sanctions plan against Iran, stating that he had previously sent messages about the "breaches of trust by the U.S." to Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, twice. Zarif described the U.S. Senate's action to draft new sanctions against Iran as "short-sighted" and indicative of a "wrong policy" that the "U.S. government has pursued, especially after the recent elections." The U.S. Senate on Wednesday, June 7, voted 97 to 2 to pave the way for the approval of new sanctions against Iran. The new Senate plan will impose sanctions on Iran for its ballistic missile program, "support for terrorism," and "human rights violations." On Sunday, Abbas Araghchi, head of the JCPOA Implementation Follow-up Committee, announced that the Joint Commission of the JCPOA is likely to convene in July this year and stated that if the new U.S. sanctions are implemented, Iran will view it as a violation of the JCPOA. The Joint Commission of the JCPOA includes representatives from the 1+5 group and Iran, which oversees the implementation of the Vienna nuclear agreement. During his visit to Norway, Zarif also emphasized to Federica Mogherini that Iran will never unilaterally violate the JCPOA. The IRNA report from this meeting indicated that Mogherini also stressed the "commitment and responsibility of the European Union in implementing the JCPOA." On the same day in Vienna, Yukiya Amano reported to the Board of Governors that the agency continues to monitor and verify Iran's nuclear program. On June 2 of this year, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran has remained committed to its obligations under the nuclear agreement and has not deviated from its program. Yukiya Amano also stated on Tuesday that according to the agency's information, 20 tons of heavy water will soon be exported from Iran.