Continuation of JCPOA Meaningless If One Party Leaves: Iranian Official


Continuation of JCPOA Meaningless If One Party Leaves: Iranian Official

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The political deputy of the Iranian president's chief of staff said if one party withdraws from the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), it would be “meaningless” to the Islamic Republic to continue the agreement.

Speaking to an Iranian daily, Majid Takht Ravanchi warned against a possible move by the US government to leave the JCPOA and said, “The JCPOA is a two-way equation, and the equation’s balance should not be upset.”

If the balance is upset as a result of a US exit, the agreement would be “meaningless and useless” to Iran no matter what other parties do to save it.

From Iran’s point of view, the purpose of the JCPOA is to serve the country’s national interests and it cannot be said that Washington’s withdrawal from the deal would have no effect on the interests, he went on to say.

Under the JCPOA, Iran agreed to curbs and inspections on its nuclear program in exchange for relief from anti-Tehran sanctions.

US President Donald Trump in January set a 120-day deadline for US lawmakers and European allies to “fix” his predecessor Barack Obama's main foreign policy achievement or face a US exit.

Since the historic deal was signed by Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) in Vienna in July 2015, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly confirmed the Islamic Republic’s compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA, but some other parties, especially the US, have failed to live up to their undertakings.

In March, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of serious repercussions of a US decision to pull out of the multilateral agreement, saying such a move would plunge the Middle East into war.

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