Iran Announces End to Nuclear Limitations

Iraqi MPs Vote for Expulsion of U.S. Troops

Date: 06 January 2020 - 23:14

News ID: ۷۴۷۹۳

BAGHDAD/TEHRAN (Dispatches) — The blowback over the U.S. assassination of a top Iranian general mounted Sunday as Iran announced it will no longer abide by the limits contained in the 2015 nuclear deal and Iraq’s Parliament called for the expulsion of all American troops from Iraqi soil.
Adding to the tensions, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to demand billions of dollars in compensation from Iraq or impose "sanctions like they’ve never seen before” if it goes through with expelling U.S. troops.
Iranian national television cited a statement by President Hassan Rouhani’s administration saying the country would not observe the nuclear deal’s restrictions on fuel enrichment, on the size of its enriched uranium stockpile and on its research and development activities.
In Iraq, meanwhile, lawmakers voted in favor of a resolution calling for an end to the foreign military presence in the country, including the estimated 5,200 U.S. troops stationed to the country. The bill is subject to approval by the Iraqi government but has the backing of the outgoing prime minister.
In yet another sign of rising tensions and threats of retaliation over the deadly assassination, the U.S. military in Iraq said it is putting all its operations on hold to focus on protecting its own troops and bases.
Trump responded to the Parliament’s troop withdrawal vote with a monetary threat, saying the U.S. expected to be paid for its military intervention in Iraq before leaving and threatening economic sanctions if the U.S. is not treated properly.
"We have a very extraordinarily expensive air base that’s there. It cost billions of dollars to build. Long before my time. We’re not leaving unless they pay us back for it,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.
"If they do ask us to leave, if we don’t do it in a very friendly basis, we will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before ever. It’ll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame,” he said. He added: "We’re not leaving until they pay us back for it.”
State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus earlier said the U.S. was awaiting clarification on its legal meaning but was "disappointed” by the move and strongly urged Iraq to reconsider.
The leaders of Germany, France and Britain issued a joint statement on Sunday calling on Iran to abide by the terms of the nuclear deal which they have failed to honor for more than a year and refrain from retaliation.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson specifically urged Iran to "withdraw all measures” not in line with the 2015 agreement.
Iran insisted that it remains open to negotiations with European partners over its nuclear program.
Tehran has already relieved some of the deal’s limits as part of step-by-step measures in response to European failures to fulfill their commitments. It has increased its production, begun enriching uranium to 5% and restarted enrichment at an underground facility.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday that it saw no threat of nuclear weapons proliferation after Iran’s decision to abandon limitations on enriching uranium.
The ministry said that Russia remained fully committed to the Iran nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
China said it will "take relentless efforts” to salvage the Iranian nuclear accord and reduce tensions in the Middle East after the U.S. assassination.
Geng Shuang, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, told a daily press conference on Monday that Iran had been forced to end its commitment due to external factors but had showed restraint and a willingness to implement the deal so it "does not violate its (non-proliferation) obligations”.
Iran, meanwhile, said that its cooperation with the IAEA "will continue as before.”
Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi earlier told journalists that Gen. Soleimani’s assassination would prompt Iranian officials to take a bigger step away from the nuclear deal.
"In the world of politics, all developments are interconnected,” Mousavi said.
In Iraq, where the airstrike has been denounced as a violation of the country’s sovereignty, Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said that the government has two choices: End the presence of foreign troops or restrict their mission to training Iraqi forces. He called for the first option.
The majority of about 180 legislators present in Parliament voted in favor of the troop-removal resolution.
The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia warned Americans "of the heightened risk of missile and drone attacks.”

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