Iran foreign minister: Americans main culprit violating 2015 nuclear deal

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says the Americans are the main party violating a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and have inflicted the most drastic harm to the accord, which is officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iran’s top diplomat made the remarks in a Monday meeting with foreign ambassadors and diplomatic missions in Tehran, during which he explained about various aspects of the new Iranian administration’s foreign policy.

Elaborating on the Iranian administration’s position on the Vienna talks, which have been going on for a few months in the Austrian capital to revive the JCPOA following US withdrawal from the accord, Iran’s foreign minister said, “The 13th [Iranian] administration believes in diplomacy as an effective tool and we will never distance from negotiations.”

“We have a positive approach to negotiations as an opportunity to diplomacy, but believe that negotiations for the sake of negotiations will have no benefit for the Iranian nation and other involved parties,” Amir-Abdollahian said.

“The Americans inflicted the worst harm on the JCPOA and not only are they accused [in this regard], but they are also the main culprit in violating the JCPOA,” he added.

He emphasized that Iran welcomes any negotiations that guarantee the rights and interests of the Iranian nation, saying, “We believe in wise and solid negotiations that secure rights of the nation and will actively take measures towards that goal.”

Iran believes that fruitless negotiations that only waste time would not be beneficial to the people, the top diplomat added.

He urged the European troika – France, Germany and Britain who are signatories to the nuclear deal – to take action with respect to the JCPOA implementation, saying that the three states were, too, responsible for the US refusal to lift sanctions against Iran and allow the nation to reap the deal’s benefits.

Amir-Abdollahian noted that this issue has been conveyed to the president and foreign minister of France during his recent visit to Iraq and to his other counterparts in the European troika.

“The European troika has the opportunity to review and change its approach to show its firm determination in its interaction with Iran,” he said.

“At the same time, we welcome [cooperation with] other European countries and are ready to pursue active and dynamic relations with them within the framework of a balanced foreign policy. We will pay attention to all continents and parts of the world in such a relationship," the Iranian foreign minister pointed out.

Iran and the other five remaining parties to the JCPOA – Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China -- have held six rounds of talks in Vienna to salvage the faltering agreement by bringing the US, as the violator of the deal, back into compliance.

In quitting the JCPOA in May 2018, former US president Donald Trump reinstated sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the accord, while piling on the pressure with new bans, as the other parties failed to protect Iran’s contractual benefits.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said earlier on Monday that negotiations on the JCPOA revival will continue in essence under the new administration.

FM spokesman: Talks on JCPOA revival will continue, must guarantee Iranian people’s interests

Iran says negotiations on the JCPOA revival will continue in essence under the new administration.

“The [Vienna] negotiations will continue in essence. Iran has announced time and again that negotiations will continue to make sure that the United States will return to complete implementation of its obligations under the JCPOA and [UN Security Council] Resolution 2231 [which endorsed the accord],” he added.

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