FM: Iran Building Leverages against US Maximum Pressure Policy

“The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has officially informed the IAEA that our voluntary actions in implementation of the Additional Protocol will stop on February 23, but the Agency will continue monitoring. The AEOI is ready to hold talks with the Agency on the quality and reach a conclusion,” Zarif told reporters in Tehran on Wednesday after a cabinet meeting.

“The Agency’s normal supervision will continue. The actions and law of the parliament are based on the Article 36 of the nuclear deal. If the US fulfills its undertakings, there is no reason for our compensatory actions, and we will implement our undertakings (based on the nuclear deal) too,” he added.

Zarif called again on the US and other members of the nuclear deal to return to their undertakings.

He also blasted the Biden administration’s approach to continue the failed policy of Trump towards Iran in the past one month, warning that Tehran will not remain inactive and will also build new leverages vis a vis Washington’s illegal policy of maximum pressure.

Zarif, meantime, said that the compensatory measures Iran adopts against the West’s disloyalties to the nuclear deal are not irreversible “but the US will be disgraced further” in case of continuing Trump’s failed policies.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday that his country will halt the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) next week in case other parties continue to defy their nuclear deal undertakings.

“The Iranian government is required to suspend the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol next week, according to the parliament approval, if the obligations of the other parties have not been fulfilled by that day. This move does not take time and can be implemented in a day,” Khatibzadeh told reporters in a press conference in Tehran.

“Accordingly, inspections beyond the safeguards agreements will be stopped, and this means the supervisions that Iran has accepted within the framework of the Additional Protocol and it does not mean stopping all supervisions. Iran will keep fulfilling some of the inspections, but the Additional Protocol will definitely be stopped,” he added.

Yet, Khatibzadeh underlined that Iran’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will continue and will inform the IAEA of its moves in a letter, reiterating that all the actions done by Iran are easily reversible, provided that the other parties return to their obligations.

“Unfortunately, the US continues to follow the wrong path of the previous administration, and what is happening today is no different from what was underway before January 20, and the maximum pressure and crime against the Iranian people and disregard for international laws continues today too,” he added.

Also, on February 7, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said that his country will not take steps to return to its nuclear deal undertakings unless it will be able to verify the US practical measures in removing the sanctions against Tehran.

“Iran has fulfilled all its obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal, not the US and the three European countries … If they want Iran to return to its commitments, the US must lift all sanctions first,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, addressing the Iranian Army Air Force commanders and staff on the anniversary of the historical pledging allegiance of Air Force commanders with late Imam Khomeini in 1979.

He underlined that the side with the right to set conditions to return to the JCPOA undertakings is Iran since it abided by all its commitments, not the US or the 3 European countries which breached theirs, adding, “If they want Iran to return, the US should lift all sanctions. We’ll verify and if it’s done properly, we’ll return to our undertakings.”

“This is the definite policy of the Islamic Republic and it is also agreed upon by the officials of the country and we will not return from this policy,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, stressing that no one in Iran listens to what the US and European officials say about preconditions for lifting sanctions.