Zarif Warns of 'Difficult Days' Ahead for Iran

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, announced that Iran may face 'difficult days' regarding the 'JCPOA'. In an interview published in the Tuesday, February 7 edition of the newspaper Ettelaat, Zarif did not elaborate on the details of these 'difficulties', but added: 'Neither Iran nor the Europeans accept renegotiation. The international community will not accept it either.' Criticizing some statements and positions of Donald Trump, the President of the United States, he stated that Tehran will not accept renegotiation of its nuclear program. The Iranian Foreign Minister further stated that 'the JCPOA is not just our agreement with the U.S.; it is a multilateral agreement.' Zarif added that 'the JCPOA is a reality and is currently in effect, even though the Americans, neither during Obama’s nor Trump’s administrations, have shown any interest in helping its implementation.' He also mentioned that 'Europe and the rest of the world insist on the implementation of the JCPOA, but in contrast, the Americans have made statements, and recently Trump said it is the worst agreement.' Trump has been a critic of this agreement and has repeatedly stated during his election campaign that it is 'the worst deal possible' and that he would tear it up if elected president. He stated that Americans 'have gotten used to saying things and expecting the other side to accept them. The U.S. did not achieve any of its demands in the JCPOA.' Previously, Donald Trump, on February 3, criticized Iran sharply in three tweets, emphasizing: 'Iran was on its knees and collapsing, but the U.S. saved it with the nuclear deal.' In one of these tweets, he wrote: 'Iran was on its knees and collapsing until the U.S. gave it a new lease on life through the nuclear deal: with $150 billion!' He was referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached last July between Tehran and the P5+1 group, including the U.S., under which Tehran halted many of its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions against Iran. On Tuesday, February 7, he also tweeted about the JCPOA: 'Obama can deal with Iran, the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, and there’s no problem from the perspective of [haters].' Earlier, Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, stated on November 9 to CNN that the nuclear agreement with Iran is not a bilateral agreement between Tehran and Washington that Donald Trump, as President of the United States, can overturn. Meanwhile, Theresa May, the British Prime Minister, defended the nuclear agreement with Iran during her recent visit to the U.S., stating that the JCPOA has delayed Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons but must be protected while responding decisively to any violation of it. In the U.S., several political and military figures have also called for the preservation of the JCPOA. General James Mattis, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, previously stated that although the JCPOA is considered 'an imperfect arms control agreement,' the U.S. must fulfill its commitments. Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, has stated that he does not seek the complete cancellation of the nuclear agreement with Iran but considers a 'full review' of it necessary. Meanwhile, following this missile test, Donald Trump and several other American officials have warned Iran, with Trump stating that all options regarding this country are on the table. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, reacted on Tuesday to some of the statements made by the U.S. President against Iran, saying that '[Trump] says fear me; no, the people will respond to these words on February 11.'