Zarif: We Do Not Claim the Nuclear Agreement is Completely in Iran's Favor

Iran's Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, emphasized during a public session of parliament on Tuesday, July 30, that "we never claim" that the nuclear agreement with the 5+1 group is "completely in Iran's favor." He stated that "to achieve our demands, we have made concessions and flexibilities within the limitations and oversight." Zarif referred to the red lines set by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic for negotiations, asserting that "we have adhered to the majority of these red lines or all of them to the best of our ability." He identified key red lines as the "acceptance of Iran's right to enrichment," "preservation of the Arak reactor's nature," "no oversight on missile and military programs," "no entry into non-nuclear sectors," and "the lifting of financial and economic sanctions and Security Council sanctions." However, he did not mention any red lines that may not have been adhered to. At the beginning of the session, Zarif also presented the text of the agreement between Iran and the 5+1 to the parliament, which subsequently formed a "special" committee to review the agreement. According to a law titled "Obligation of the Government to Preserve Nuclear Achievements and Rights," which was passed by the Iranian parliament and approved by the Guardian Council on Wednesday, July 3, the "result of negotiations" regarding Iran's nuclear program "must be presented to the parliament for compliance with the Constitution and legal resolutions." Zarif clarified, "We have never claimed and do not claim that the JCPOA is completely in Iran's favor; I emphasize that negotiations are fundamentally a give-and-take process, and... to achieve our demands within limitations and oversight, we have made targeted and calculated flexibilities." Zarif's comments about "flexibility" in "limitations and oversight" come despite Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's prior insistence that there would be no inspections of military sites or interviews with Iranian nuclear scientists. Zarif also stated that "the red line of accepting inspections or agreeing to prohibitions in the defense and missile industries was fully achieved in the agreement" and was "adequately reflected" in the Security Council resolution. He emphasized that in the "recent agreement between Iran and the Agency" to resolve outstanding issues regarding potential military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program, "all of Iran's considerations will be respected, and in the future, all oversight will be conducted according to standard international methods under the Additional Protocol." Zarif noted that the duration of uranium enrichment limitations in Iran was reduced from 10 years to 8 years. According to a "roadmap" signed on Tuesday, July 23, just hours before the official announcement of the comprehensive nuclear agreement between Iran and the 5+1, the two parties reached a "separate agreement" regarding the military site of Parchin. However, this section of the new roadmap between Iran and the Agency does not mention any details of this "separate arrangement." In another part of the session, Zarif responded to questions from parliament members, emphasizing that Security Council oversight of Iran's nuclear file "will end after 10 years." He also stated that the new Security Council resolution "has no punitive mechanism" and that UN sanctions "will not return" based on this resolution. However, Zarif's statement comes as the new UN Security Council resolution, passed on Monday, allows for UN sanctions to be reinstated if Iran violates the commitments of the final agreement within the next 10 years. Zarif also mentioned that the annex regarding ballistic missiles in the Security Council resolution "is presented in a non-binding manner, and the term 'designed for the capability to carry nuclear weapons' is added to the Security Council resolution for the first time." He added, "Since we do not design any of our missiles for the capability to carry nuclear weapons, this issue has no relation to the Security Council and never has." He emphasized, "Moreover, the issue of missiles and the trade of weapons is explicitly outside the agreement and is only part of the resolution, and non-implementation of it will not be considered a violation of the agreement." A day before Zarif's remarks, Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Revolutionary Guard, stated that some items in the draft Security Council resolution "will never be accepted" and "are not credible." Previously, Rasoul Sanaei Rad, head of the political department of the Revolutionary Guard, had stated regarding the US draft resolution that Iran's military capabilities, including access to ballistic missiles, "are non-negotiable." The Security Council resolution allows for the transfer of ballistic missile technology and heavy weapons to Iran, with the approval of Security Council members, but the United States has stated it will veto such actions. The resolution also maintains restrictions on ballistic missile technology for eight years and heavy weapons for five years. Additionally, the Security Council resolution keeps conventional arms sanctions against Iran for five years. In this context, the European Union has approved the nuclear agreement between Iran and six global powers.