JCPOA Withdrawal Proves US Untrustworthy: Iran’s Velayati
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Ali Akbar Velayati, an international adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, slammed a recent move by the US to leave the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), saying it proves that Washington can never be trusted.
“By its withdrawal from the JCPOA, the US only proved that, as in the past, it violates treaties whenever possible and cannot be trusted,” Velayati told reporters in Tehran on Saturday after his meeting with Turkmenistan’s foreign minister.
“The US moves to breach its pledges have no limits; one day it leaves the environmental convention, the other day it violates the greenhouse gas emissions agreement and today, it violates its nuclear obligations,” he said, adding, though, that the Islamic Republic of Iran has the ability to counter threats posed by the US.
The passing of 40 years since the Islamic Revolution victory has proved that the Islamic Republic will not cave in to US bullying at all, Velayati said.
He further pointed to the survival of the JCPOA and said in the next two or three weeks, the European sides should prove whether they are committed to their obligations or not.
In relevant comments, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei urged that any decision to keep the 2015 nuclear deal running without the US should be conditional on “practical guarantees” from the three European parties to the JCPOA.
During a visit to the Farhangian University in Tehran on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei said Iranian administration officials are faced with a “tough test” of safeguarding the Iranian nation’s dignity in dealing with the US withdrawal from the nuclear agreement.
As regards the administration’s decision to consider saving the nuclear deal with the three European parties -France, Britain and Germany-, the Leader voiced distrust of the Europeans, stressing that any plan to maintain the deal must come with practical guarantees.
Without practical and definite assurance, it is impossible to keep the deal going, because the Europeans are likely to follow the US’s lead, Ayatollah Khamenei warned.
The Leader then hit back at the US president for his “silly and cheap” comments on Iran that included more than 10 lies, saying Trump “made a damn mistake” threatening the Iranian establishment and nation.
In a speech from the White House on Tuesday, Trump accused Iran of sponsoring terrorism and seeking nukes before announcing the US withdrawal from the nuclear accord.
Following the controversial decision, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iran weighs plans to remain in the agreement with the other five parties, namely Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, provided that the remaining JCPOA parties ensure its full benefits for Iran.
In an open session of the Iranian Parliament on Wednesday morning, a number of lawmakers set fire to the JCPOA and to the US flag in a symbolic gesture of protest.
