Araqchi: U.S. Violations Will Have Consequences

Date: 21 October 2017 - 22:11

News ID: ۴۵۵۴۵

MOSCOW (Dispatches) – A senior Iranian diplomat said here Saturday that U.S. moves to prevent Iran from benefiting from the 2015 nuclear deal "will have its consequences.”
"This outpost, negative atmosphere created by the U.S. administration is in fact violation of the JCPOA, preventing Iran from benefiting from sanctions lifting,” Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told a non-proliferation conference.
"I tell you it is totally unacceptable and it will have its consequences. The situation is as bad as it is in Iran as it is in Washington, I have to tell you,” he added.
He once again stressed the importance of fully implementing the JCPOA by all its signatories and said the nuclear deal could by no means be re-negotiated.
"We don't see any possibility of re-negotiation, for any addition, for any annex, for any add-on, for anything for the JCPOA,” said Araqchi, who was a senior member of the Iranian team negotiating with the P5+1 countries.
He emphasized that the JCPOA "should be implemented in full and Iran should be benefited from the dividends of this deal, otherwise we would have a serious problem.”
The nuclear deal, he said, would collapse without the U.S. "Imagine the U.S. quit. Can we continue our work with the EU? We’re not there yet, but I personally believe that the whole deal would collapse and fall apart without the U.S.,” the website of Russia’s RT television quoted him as saying.
"Everyone says that Iran should comply with the deal, but the Americans don’t comply with their part of the bargain which is totally unacceptable,” he said.
The U.S., he said, has repeatedly violated the deal, adding that everything President Donald Trump says against the deal is already "a violation.”
The diplomat also said the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers can’t be renegotiated Trump’s objection to the terms.
That includes all annexes, clauses and proposed additions, Araqchi was quoted by the Islamic Republic News Agency as saying. The U.S. has already violated the accord through actions that undermine its implementation, he said.
"We say clearly and unequivocally, no possibility exists for any negotiations regarding the nuclear deal or its annexes or any additions,” the minister said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned against breaking up the Iran nuclear agreement, saying it is "vital for strategic stability."
Speaking to the same conference, Lavrov said any unilateral changes to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) "could bury this agreement, which is vital for strategic stability and nuclear non-proliferation."
Lavrov described any prospect of returning to the pre-JCPOA situation as "impossible,” saying, "Restoring the UN Security Council sanctions [on Iran] is out of the question.”
The Russian foreign minister rejected the need for further inspection of Iran’s nuclear sites beyond the JCPOA requirements, noting that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) "performs regular checks and confirms their strict fulfillment of obligations.”
Touching on U.S. demands for renegotiating the JCPOA, Lavrov stated that any changes to the deal would require the approval of all the parties to the accord, including Iran.