by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Hassan Rouhani
By Muhammet Kursun,
Tehran: The U.S. will sooner or later rejoin the Iran nuclear deal, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday.
Speaking at a press conference in New York, where he was attending the UN General Assembly, Rouhani described the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 accord as “a mistake”.
He said it would ease the way for dialogue if the U.S. administration “stops bullying, keeps its promises, abides by the laws and respects human rights”.
Rouhani underlined that he met with 16 world leaders in New York and all of them supported the nuclear agreement.
He said the U.S. has isolated itself by pulling out from the accord but would return to the deal because “nobody benefits from the current situation”.
In May, U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew his country from a landmark nuclear deal signed in 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 group of nations — the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany.
He later reinstated U.S. sanctions on Tehran, which had been lifted under the terms of the agreement in exchange for restrictions on Iran’s nuclear energy program.
The sanctions are expected to impact Iranian oil exports, which provide Tehran with the revenue needed to finance its national budget.
—AA
by admin | May 25, 2021 | World
Moscow : Moscow is determined to take all necessary measures to preserve and implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.
“Russia continues to consistently implement its commitments under the JCPOA… We reiterate our decisive commitment to take all the necessary measures to preserve and fully implement the JCPOA,” a ministry statement said, Xinhua reported.
It said that Russia’s Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation is implementing a series of projects designed to ensure the compliance with requirements of the JCPOA.
While noting that Russia is preparing to return a second batch of high-enriched uranium to Iran, the ministry stressed that Moscow would assist Tehran in managing the surplus low-enriched uranium and carry out cooperation with the country in specific areas for the peaceful use of atomic energy.
All such cooperation is being carried out strictly in accordance with the JCPOA terms and UN Security Council Resolution 2231 under full supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the ministry said.
The JCPOA was signed in 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 — Russia, France, China, Britain, the United States, plus Germany.
In May, US President Donald Trump announced Washington’s withdrawal from the landmark Iranian nuclear deal. Since then, the Trump administration has slapped a number of sanctions on Iran while vowing to apply more.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Hassan Rouhani
Vienna : Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who’s on a visit here on Wednesday, said that no one will get benefits from US withdrawal from the nuclear deal.
“Not the US, not any other country would benefit from this decision to withdraw from the accord,” he said.
He told a press conference that Tehran would prefer to stay in the deal and continue to cooperate and meet its obligations, if the remaining signatories respect its interests, Xinhua reported.
Rouhani was in Vienna on Wednesday on his second leg of his European tour, which also brought him to Switzerland.
As the United States is reinstating sanctions on Iran, Rouhani is trying to seek supports from EU countries to secure Tehran’s interests under the nuclear deal.
Iran signed the landmark nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) with the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany in 2015 to halt its nuclear weapons program in exchange for sanctions relief.
However, US President Donald Trump decided on May 8 to quit the deal and vowed to re-impose sanctions, including oil embargo, on Tehran, on grounds that the deal had failed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons or supporting terrorism in the region.
The US withdrawal from the landmark nuclear deal has been widely criticized, as some of its major European allies have been working to prevent the 2015 deal from falling apart.
Rouhani also discussed other issues in the Middle East region with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Washington : US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he will withdraw his country from the Iran nuclear deal, a decision that immediately drew global frustration and outcry.
The pullout of the US from the deal, which eased sanctions on Iran in exchange for the country limiting its nuclear program, risks sparking an arms race in the Middle East, experts said, Xinhua news agency reported.
In a televised speech from the White House, Trump announced the exit. He said that he will not sign the waiver of nuke-related sanctions against Iran, but re-impose sanctions lifted under the accord against Tehran and nations it has business links with.
Trump repeated his rhetoric against Iran and the deal, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), saying it had failed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons or supporting terrorism in the region.
The JCPOA “allowed Iran to continue enriching uranium” and “lifted crippling economic sanctions” on Iran in exchange for “very weak limits” on its nuclear activity, “and no limits at all” on its efforts to expand regional influences, he said.
“The deal’s sunset provisions are totally unacceptable,” He said. “If I allowed this deal to stand, there would soon be a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Everyone would want their weapons ready by the time Iran had theirs.”
The US will impose “the highest level” of economic sanctions on Tehran, he said. “Any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could also be strongly sanctioned by the United States.”
As for the possible exacerbation of trans-Atlantic division over his decision, Trump only said that “we are unified in our understanding of the threat, and in our conviction that Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon.”
Trump’s decision came on the heels of visits to the US by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Macron even proposed a last-ditch side plan to appease Trump, but had failed to convince him.
The White House said later that Trump had “directed his administration to immediately begin the process of re-imposing sanctions related to the JCPOA,” and “the re-imposed sanctions will target critical sectors of Iran’s economy, such as its energy, petrochemical, and financial sectors.”
“Those doing business in Iran will be provided a period of time to allow them to wind down operations in or business involving Iran,” it added. “Those who fail to wind down such activities with Iran by the end of the period will risk severe consequences.”
US Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin noted in an announcement that “sanctions will be reimposed subject to certain 90 day and 180 day wind-down periods”.
“At the conclusion of the wind-down periods, the applicable sanctions will come back into full effect. This includes actions under both our primary and secondary sanctions authorities,” he added.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the US “will be working with our allies to find a real, comprehensive, and lasting solution to the Iranian threat.”
Trump’s decision to abandon the Iran deal signed between Iran and the six world powers of Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US has sparked domestic and global concerns.
In a joint statement released by Macron’s office, French, German and British leaders regretted the US decision.
Macron, Merkel and Theresa May reiterated their “continued commitment” to the Iran nuclear deal, stressing that it “is of particular importance to our shared security.”
Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama, under whose administration the deal was signed, said in a Facebook post that Trump’s announcement is “so misguided” and “a serious mistake.”
“The JCPOA is working,” Obama said, adding that “the United States could eventually be left with a losing choice between a nuclear-armed Iran or another war in the Middle East” without the landmark deal.
Europe will abide by the JCPOA, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said, adding she was “particularly worried” about the possible repercussions of Trump’s decision.
For his part, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that his country will remain in the deal, adding he has asked the Iranian foreign minister to initiate negotiations with the European partners as well as China and Russia over the fate of the deal.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on April 27 that China expects the deal to remain intact and be treated seriously.
“China calls for all related parties to strengthen dialogue and coordination” over the deal, she said.
Experts from the Washington-based Arms Control Association also denounced the decision. Daryl G. Kimball, the group’s executive director, said Trump’s announcement “is an irresponsible act of foreign policy malpractice” and “a twofold abrogation of US commitments.”
“Through his reckless actions, Trump is precipitating a proliferation crisis rather than working with our allies to develop a long-term diplomatic strategy to build on the agreement in the years ahead,” Kimball said.
Brookings Institution senior fellow Darrell West told Xinhua that “the risk is his decision will spark an arms race in the Middle East.”
“Iran may restart its nuclear programme and that could propel Saudi Arabia to develop its own nuclear programme. The region is likely to become more volatile and chaotic as a result of the deal nullification,” he said.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Brussels : European Union (EU) leaders have voiced their commitment to the Iran nuclear deal and its full implementation by all sides, despite US President Donald Trump’s decision to decertify Iran’s compliance with the deal.
The leaders of France, Germany and Britain, in a joint statement issued by 10 Downing Street on Friday, said they were concerned by the possible implications of Trump’s decision, urging the US Administration and Congress to consider the implications to the security of the US and its allies “before taking any steps that might undermine the JCPoA, such as re-imposing sanctions on Iran lifted under the agreement”, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), was the culmination of 13 years of diplomacy and was “a major step” towards ensuring that Iran’s nuclear programme is not diverted for military purposes, the statement stressed.
Noting that the JCPoA was unanimously endorsed by the UN Security Council in Resolution 2231, the leaders of the EU trio said the International Atomic Energy Agency “has repeatedly confirmed Iran’s compliance with the JCPoA” through its long-term verification and monitoring program.
“Our governments are committed to ensuring the JCPoA is maintained,” the joint statement said.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the three countries also said they “share concerns about Iran’s ballistic missile programme and regional activities that also affect our European security interests.”
“We stand ready to take further appropriate measures to address these issues in close cooperation with the US and all relevant partners. We look to Iran to engage in constructive dialogue to stop de-stabilising actions and work towards negotiated solutions,” they added in the statement.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has expressed regret over Trump’s decision to decertify Iran’s compliance with a nuclear deal, arguing that Tehran strictly abides by the landmark agreement.
Israel has, however, welcomed Trump’s decision to not certify the landmark nuclear deal with Iran and also hailed his remarks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Trump’s remarks on Friday as a “courageous decision”, Xinhua reported.
Saudi Arabian government has also welcomed the firm new strategy towards Iran announced by Trump.
Following Trump’s announcement that he had decided not to certify Iran’s compliance with the landmark deal, EU Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini said the EU will continue to fully implement the Iran nuclear deal.
“It’s not a bilateral agreement. It does not belong to any single country. It’s not up to any single country to terminate it,” said Mogherini at a press conference.
“We cannot afford… to dismantle a nuclear agreement this is working and delivering,” she said, stressing the IAEA has verified eight times that Iran is implementing all its nuclear-related commitments.
“The US’ domestic process — and I underline domestic — following today’s announcement of President Trump is now in the hands of the United States’ Congress. The JCPOA is not a domestic issue but a United Nations Security Council Resolution,” the EU Foreign Policy chief stressed.
“The European Union continues to fully support the Iran nuclear deal, and the full and strict implementation of all its provisions by all parties,” said Mogherini.
The Iran nuclear deal, or the JCPOA, was reached in 2015 between Iran and Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany.
The EU also played an important role in brokering the deal and deemed it as one of the bloc’s outstanding diplomatic achievements.
Trump announced on Friday that he had decided to decertify Iran’s compliance with the landmark deal.
“I am announcing today that we cannot and will not make this certification,” Trump said at the White House as he unveiled a new Iran strategy of his administration.
Despite his criticism of Iran and the Iran nuclear deal, Trump on Friday stopped short of abandoning the nuclear deal.
Instead, he said he was directing his administration to work with Congress and US allies to address “the deal’s many serious flaws,” including “insufficient enforcement and near-total silence on Iran’s missile programs”.
In case the efforts fail, Trump warned that “then the (Iran nuclear) agreement will be terminated”.
The decertification would not pull the US out of the Iran nuclear deal at the moment, but it would open a 60-day window in which US Congress could reimpose nuclear-related sanctions on Iran, a step which would mean the violation of the deal on the US side.
—IANS
