Zarif's Statements on Trump's Efforts to Destroy the JCPOA

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, on Monday, February 5, referred to Donald Trump's dissatisfaction with the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, known as the JCPOA, stating that Trump is seeking ways to 'destroy' the JCPOA. In an interview with the special news program of Channel Two, Zarif commented on the U.S. request for renegotiation of the JCPOA, saying, 'Mr. Trump is very unhappy with the JCPOA and is trying to find ways to destroy it; therefore, he wants to enter areas that are explicitly outside the JCPOA. The JCPOA has tried to resolve one area of dispute without settling other areas of disagreement.' He added, 'The JCPOA has only entered into discussions on one area, and what we, the Europeans, and of course Russia and China, emphasize more strongly than Europe is that the JCPOA is an agreement within the framework of not reaching agreements in other areas, and this cannot be suddenly changed.' The nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, namely the U.S., the U.K., France, China, Russia, and Germany, was achieved in 2015. However, the U.S. President has repeatedly emphasized that the nuclear agreement with Iran is the 'worst' deal in history. Trump has stated that the Islamic Republic, by continuing its missile activities and its 'destabilizing' actions in the region, including in Syria and Yemen, has not been faithful to the 'spirit of the JCPOA,' the nuclear agreement with the 5+1 group. Last month, the U.S. President extended the suspension of nuclear sanctions against Iran for 120 days, announcing that this would be the last time he would extend this suspension and that the 'catastrophic' flaws in the nuclear agreement with Iran must be corrected. Trump has set four conditions for the U.S. to continue its participation in the JCPOA: 'immediate access' for international inspectors to all sites and facilities in Iran, making restrictions on Iran's nuclear program permanent, guarantees against approaching nuclear weapons, and limitations on Iran's long-range missile program; because, according to Trump, the long-range missile program and Iran's nuclear weapons program are 'inseparable.' Zarif also stated in this interview, 'Every word of the JCPOA is written based on distrust, and this mutual distrust is why you might have fewer international documents that are so long.' He added, 'What Donald Trump is doing was predictable. We did not expect the U.S. to implement the JCPOA in good faith. Throughout the JCPOA, it is written that parties must act in good faith; why did we create such an obvious principle in the JCPOA? Because we had this expectation from the Americans that they would do otherwise.' Meanwhile, the U.S. President has insisted on reforms to the nuclear agreement with Iran to address concerns regarding Iran's approach. The Trump administration has repeatedly expressed concern over the 'sunset clause' in the nuclear agreement with Iran. The 'sunset clause' pertains to the lifting of restrictions after the time period of the nuclear agreement with Iran, which has fueled concerns that 'Iran could even achieve the capability to build nuclear weapons before the end of the agreement.' In this context, it is reported that the U.S. government and Congress are seeking to eliminate the 'sunset clause,' which would remove oversight and restrictions on Iran's nuclear program. At the same time, Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, has stated that from Washington's perspective, the nuclear agreement with Iran is only a 'small' part of U.S. policy towards the Middle East, and the U.S. has further concerns about other issues, including Tehran's support for the Houthis in Yemen and Iran's supply of weapons to other militia groups in the region. Iranian officials in recent days have emphasized that the re-imposition of nuclear sanctions by the U.S. is a violation of the agreement between Iran and the world powers, and Tehran will take reciprocal actions in this regard, one of which could be increasing uranium enrichment.