News / Politics

‘JCPOA, political victory for Iran nation: Rouhani

Tuesday, 19 April 2016 11:08 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 25 April 2016 8:25 AM ]

President Hassan Rouhani addresses people in the Iranian city of Semnan, April 19, 2016.

President Hassan Rouhani has defended a nuclear agreement which has recently come under criticism at home, calling it a "political and legal honor for the Iranian nation."

The remarks made in the north-central Iranian city of Semnan on Tuesday came amid complaints that the US and the EU are not fulfilling their part of the deal reached in July.

"Some individuals are questioning the JCPOA, saying what it has done for us. This is while the JCPOA has put on record a political and legal honor in the history of the Iranian nation," Rouhani said.

The JCPOA stands for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action which Iran reached with the US, Russia, China, Germany, France and Britain in July to put their nuclear differences to rest and lift sanctions on Tehran.

Iranian officials, however, say the country has yet to realize the expected benefits from the lifting of sanctions because it still remains locked out of the international financial system.

Rouhani said he started his office while sanctions were at the "highest point" and inflation, recession, unemployment and market volatility had become a serious preoccupation of the people.

"The great Iranian nation took a historic decision, opting to defeat the Islamophobia and Iranophobia campaign of the big powers and international Zionism," he said.

Iran, Rouhani said, decided "to resolve all pressures resulting from sanctions as well as regional and international problems one after another."

“Who would have thought that six Security Council resolutions and 12 resolutions of the Board of Governors would be cancelled and consigned to the dustbin of history for good," Rouhani said.

He was referring to UN resolutions as well as the 35-nation board of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which decided to close its probe into possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear program in December.

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