Zarif says had no contact with Tillerson

EghtesadOnline: According to Supreme Leader and government’s measure, Iran was in a situation that could easily ramp its nuclear program back up but its preference was continuation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said.

News ID: ۷۷۴۴۲۸

07 March 2017

“There is no reason that sanctions wouldn’t be removed. Under the JCPOA, US has responsibilities that should deliver them. There is nothing new since Donald Trump took office but the new rhetoric in US government is opposed to the JCPOA’s spirit and some of its provisions especially the one that related to creating a suitable environment for foreign investment in Iran,” he said.

According to ISNA, Zarif stressed that underJCPOA’s framework, there was no limitation for Iran to negotiate with US and the new team of State Department.

“We emphasized that there is no renegotiation over JCPOA. But to get OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) licenses our friends in Iranian foreign ministry are communicating with their counterparts in US State Department and the Treasury as well as Europeans and the other countries but at the foreign minister-level there has been no needs for contacting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson over implementing JCPOA. So till now, I have had no contact with Tillerson,” Iran’s foreign minister added.

“I believe the fundamental purpose of nuclear issue was creating a security and Iranophobia environment rather than imposing economic pressure against our country but JCPOA severely ruined the purpose. So hardliners in US and some of the regional countries as well as Israel try to reshape the security environment against Iran,” he said.

“The other main achievement is that not only JCPOA can preserve Iran’s nuclear program but also develop it.The interesting thing is that this success was achieved while the America doesn’t abandon its negative behavior like failing to deliver its commitments. Americans suppose that sanctions are kind of their wealth thus abandoning sanctions are so hard for them,” Iranian foreign minister added.