Zarif's Threat of 'Unrestricted Enrichment' if 'Sanctions Continue'

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, has threatened that if the U.S. and the United Nations choose a 'confrontational path' and continue sanctions, the Islamic Republic will 'continue its enrichment program without any limitations.' Iran has agreed under the Lausanne agreement to reduce the number of its centrifuges and keep uranium enrichment below four percent for a certain period. In an interview with Euronews aired on Friday, April 17, Zarif expressed regret that the U.S. has started discussing the gradual removal of sanctions and has used the term 'phased lifting of sanctions.' Zarif explained, 'If you refer to the joint statement {of Lausanne}, you will not even see the word suspension, nor will you see the word phased. It is clear that all sanctions, all economic and financial sanctions will end. The day we reach an agreement, we will go to the Security Council, and the Security Council will issue a resolution based on which all previous resolutions will be revoked and all sanctions will be lifted.' Mohammad Javad Zarif emphasized that 'it is completely clear that there will be no phased or suspended approach. The agreement we announced is very clear.' The Islamic Republic of Iran has demanded the lifting of all sanctions related to its nuclear program from the first day of the nuclear agreement's implementation, but the U.S. says this is not on the agenda. The Iranian Foreign Minister reiterated, 'We have said from the beginning that we must choose a path. We can choose the path of confrontation and conflict or a path for cooperation. We cannot choose a little of each. If we choose the path of confrontation, the U.S. and the United Nations will continue sanctions, and Iran will continue its enrichment program without any limitations.' The next round of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 group is scheduled for May 20 in Vienna, Austria. These negotiations will be held among representatives of Iran, the U.S., the U.K., France, China, Russia, and Germany, with the presence of Helga Schmid, Deputy High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the European Union. Iran and the P5+1, after reaching the framework of the nuclear agreement in Lausanne, now have until July 1 to negotiate the details and reach a comprehensive and final agreement on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.