Araqchi: Iran winner of battle of wills

EghtesadOnline: Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Abbas Araqchi, said on Sunday that the Islamic Republic of Iran has emerged the winner of the battle of wills in nuclear talks.

News ID: ۷۳۹۲۱۹

15 January 2017

Speaking to reporters on the anniversary for implementation of the JCPOA, Araqchi said the US will not be able to discard the Joint Comprehension Plan of Action (JCPOA).
According to IRNA, he said they wanted to bring Iran's nuclear enrichment to zero level but Iran underlined that it will never suspend nuclear enrichment even for a single day, believing that history will witness who will be the winner in the big battle and can impose its enrichment plan on the other side.
Talks between Iran and the US will be on very minor technical issues as talks with the Americans have been halted for a long time, he said.
Iran is to follow up relative issues and such issues as banking interactions but will never go into talks on the JCPOA, he underlined.
The JCPOA sets an international commitment to its signitaries and should not be regarded as bilateral deal between Iran and the US or any other countries, he said.
The JCPOA is a multilateral deal between Iran and six countries and the European Union as the coordinator and its commitment is an international one, Araqchi said.
'If the US president decides to put aside the JCPOA, it will be up to him but to accept its consequences and there will be no other negotiation and Iran will never attend such talks,' he said.
'The JCPOA is over and if the US president decides to tear it to pieces, our reaction will be clear ... we will set fire to it, he said.
There will be no other talks, and the JCPOA will not be repeated, Araqchi said.
Political talks with the US on nuclear issues is now over, he said.
All barriers on the way of Iran's economy should be removed but we should be vigilant in dealing with the probable cases which might be created, Araqchi said.
It is quite natural that there is no trust on them and as it has been stipulated on the JCPOA, it should be implemented under good will in order to prevent ill-wishing moves, he said.
Many in the US regarded the JCPOA as undesirable agreement and still believe that the US should focus on the zero enrichment policy but finally they changed their approach and let it off, he said.
The wise approach adopted by the Islamic Republic of Iran during nuclear talks and even after implementation of the JCPOA and closure of PAD dossier as well as removal of unfounded claims raised against Iran, the situation now differs and no one can treat Iran as before, he said.
According to many analysts the JCPOA is an proved reality and even the US administration will not be able to discard it, he said.
'But if they make such a decision (discard the JCPOA), I should say strongly that we are ready for all scenarios,' he said.
Iran's nuclear programs are irreversible and according to the Iranian Majlis approval, the country's nuclear program could be turned to certain former points immediately within the period determined by the legislative body, he said.