Zarif: We Have the Option to Withdraw from the JCPOA in Case of Major Violations

The Iranian Foreign Minister, who traveled to New York, stated in an interview with an American publication that in the event of a "major violation" of the JCPOA by other members of the 1+5 group, "Iran has other options available, one of which is to withdraw from the nuclear agreement." Mohammad Javad Zarif made this statement during an interview on Tuesday, July 16, with the American magazine "National Interest." According to the publication, Zarif referred to the JCPOA and said, "If it comes to a major violation [of the agreement], or as the term used in the text of the nuclear agreement, if it leads to significant non-implementation, then Iran has other options available, including the option to withdraw from the agreement." The Iranian Foreign Minister emphasized that Iran's withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) would be considered as a "last resort". These remarks come as the U.S. government accuses Iran of acting "against the spirit of the JCPOA"; an accusation that Zarif has previously directed at American officials. On Tuesday, the U.S. government announced that Iran has adhered to the provisions of the JCPOA, although it has acted "against its spirit." Zarif also discussed Iran's efforts to "find solutions" regarding what he termed the "shortcomings" of the U.S. in the JCPOA through the Joint Commission, noting that part of these "shortcomings" has yet to be "addressed." The Iranian Foreign Minister criticized the delay in implementing some provisions of the agreement by the U.S., such as the process of selling aircraft to Iran, adding that Iran has raised this issue in the Joint Commission. On Wednesday, July 10, the second six-month report from the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of Parliament regarding the implementation of the JCPOA identified the U.S. as the main "challenge" for the Islamic Republic in fulfilling the commitments of the 1+5 group in this agreement. The report mentioned the "extension of the Iran sanctions law," "imposition of new non-nuclear sanctions against several Iranian individuals," and what was termed "the theft of two billion dollars from Iranian assets" as three instances of U.S. "breach of commitment." These criticisms come as American officials claim that the intensification of non-nuclear sanctions is due to "Iran's destabilizing actions in the region" and is unrelated to the JCPOA. Previously, Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, criticized the nuclear agreement with Iran, stating that the mistake made during the negotiation of the nuclear deal was ignoring all serious threats posed by Iran, except for the nuclear threat. On Tuesday, Mohammad Javad Zarif stated at a meeting at the "Council on Foreign Relations" in New York that Tehran has received "mixed messages" from the Trump administration. The Iranian Foreign Minister noted that there has been no contact between him and Rex Tillerson, but this "does not mean that a relationship cannot be formed, as there is always the possibility of interaction regarding the nuclear agreement." According to Zarif, Iranian and American officials have been regularly in contact regarding the nuclear agreement.