Zarif's Reaction to Trump: The U.S. Is Not Committed to the Spirit or the Text of the JCPOA

Two days after the U.S. President accused Iran of not acting according to the spirit of the nuclear agreement, Iran's Foreign Minister accused the U.S. of not adhering to either the spirit or the text of the JCPOA. Donald Trump, on April 20, accused Iran of "not acting according to the spirit of the nuclear agreement" during a press conference with the Italian Prime Minister, adding, "We are examining this issue very, very closely and we will have something to say about it in the not-too-distant future." In response to Trump's remarks, Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on April 22, "Let’s see if the U.S. is ready to comply with the text of the JCPOA, as it has not adhered to either so far." Two days earlier, Zarif had also tweeted that "the U.S. acknowledges Iran's compliance with the JCPOA, and its worn-out sanctions cannot cover this reality. [Acknowledging this] will force the U.S. to change course and fulfill its commitments." On the same day, Zarif scanned a part of the JCPOA text and highlighted the section stating that "senior officials of the E3/EU+3 and Iran will make every effort to support the successful implementation of the JCPOA, including in their public statements." The E3/EU+3 refers to the 1+5 group of countries along with the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The U.S. is one of the negotiating countries in the 1+5 group regarding Iran's nuclear issue. According to the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the U.S. State Department must report to Congress every 90 days on Iran's compliance with the JCPOA. The latest report was published on April 18, and on the same day, Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, stated that Iran has complied with the JCPOA so far, but noted that concerns about Iran's role as a "state sponsor of terrorism" remain. On the same day, it was announced that several U.S. government agencies, under the President's guidance, are evaluating whether reducing sanctions on Iran due to the nuclear agreement aligns with U.S. security interests. In 2015, Iran and six world powers reached an agreement to end the Tehran nuclear dispute, under which the Islamic Republic would limit its nuclear activities in exchange for a reduction of international nuclear sanctions against Iran. The JCPOA was implemented at the beginning of 2016, and the Obama administration referred to this agreement as one of its achievements. Donald Trump has consistently referred to this agreement as one of the "worst" deals during his 2016 election campaign and afterward. Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, has warned that if the U.S. violates the JCPOA, it will take retaliatory actions.