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US dodging obligations under Iran nuclear deal: Commentator

Monday, 17 October 2016 11:09 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 17 October 2016 11:10 AM ]

US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attend a bilateral meeting in Vienna, Austria, May 17, 2016. (AFP photo)

The United States' approach towards the implementation of the nuclear deal reached between Iran and six world powers nearly one year ago, has driven a number of political observers into concluding that Washington is seeking ways to shirk its obligations under the deal.

Speaking to Press TV, political scientist Kaveh Afrasiabi said that Washington resorts to irrelevant issues to dodge its commitments under the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries.

Earlier, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that Tehran’s support for resistance groups was impeding the removal of obstacles to the country’s international banking transactions. Iran dismissed the remarks as “absolutely wrong and incorrect,” adding that the US is bound by the agreement to grant Tehran access to financial, banking, technology and commerce markets.

Afrasiabi believes that such issues have nothing to do with the nuclear agreement and that the US is using them as an excuse "not to fulfill its own obligation."

According to the analyst, “The US is taking one additional step of trying to create artificial linkages between the nuclear agreement and Iran’s regional behavior.”

The nuclear agreement very specifically covers the nuclear issue and it does not pertain to other issues including Iran’s conventional [military] capability which is for national security purposes, Afrasiabi added.

Iran and the P5+1 group of countries signed the nuclear deal, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), on July 2015. The deal went into effect on January 16, and resolved a long-running dispute over the Iranian nuclear program.

Under the JCPOA, the Islamic Republic has agreed to roll back certain aspects of its nuclear program — including the volume of its uranium stockpiles enriched to the 20-percent level — and has provided international atomic monitors enhanced access to its nuclear facilities. In return, Iran’s partners agreed to terminate all nuclear-related sanctions against Iran.

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