Zarif says Trump's INF withdrawal proves any deal with US not worth the ink
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the United States' decision to suspend its compliance with the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia sends the message that any deal with the US government is not worth the ink, even treaties ratified by the Congress.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that Washington will suspend its obligations under the INF on Saturday and will withdraw from the landmark 1987 arms control accord in six months if Moscow does not end its alleged violation of the pact.
"For years, Russia has violated terms of the INF Treaty without remorse. We will provide Russia and the other treaty parties with formal notice that the United States is withdrawing from the INF Treaty effective in six months, pursuant to Article 15 of the treaty," Pompeo said.
Russia denies violating the treaty, which bans either side from stationing short- and intermediate-range, land-based missiles in Europe.
In a post on his official Twitter account on Friday just a few hours after his American counterpart's announcement about the INF, Zarif said:
Yet another withdrawal from an accord by the Trump administration; this time the #INFTreaty. It's not just the #JCPOA or Iran: Seems this clique is allergic to anything w/ US signature on it. Message: Any deal with US govt is not worth the ink; even treaties ratified by Congress.
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) February 1, 2019
US President Donald Trump withdrew Washington in May from the landmark Iran nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and decided to re-impose unilateral sanctions against Tehran.
Under the deal, reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries -- the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany -- in 2015, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions.
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