Zarif Reminds Trump of Iran’s Commitment to JCPOA despite US’s Unilateral Withdrawal

"We achieved humanitarian swap *despite* your subordinates' efforts, @realDonaldTrump," Zarif tweeted on Friday.

"And we had a deal when you entered office. Iran & other JCPOA participants never left the table,” he added.

"Your advisors—most fired by now—made a dumb bet."

"Up to you to decide *when* you want to fix it," Zarif continued.

In relevant remarks on June 2, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called on the European Union (EU) to abide by its obligations with respect to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and said the US’ pullout from the deal is a flagrant violation of international law.

Iran will stick to its commitments if the EU lives up fully to its obligations, Rouhani said in a phone conversation with his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinistö.

The US discard of the JCPOA is in violation of the UN Security Council resolutions and contrary to international law, political rules and all moral values, he noted.

Referring to launching of the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX) by Europe, as well as the Swiss financial channel with Iran (SHTA), Rouhani made it clear that these mechanisms have not yet become practical, urging the EU to activate them.

Sauli Niinistö, for his part, welcomed the launch of INSTEX and he voiced Finland’s readiness to join the financial mechanism, adding that Helsinki supports the payment of the International Monetary Fund loan to Iran.

Calling the JCPOA as an international agreement, he underlined that Finland is making every effort to preserve the deal.

Also on February 23, Hassan Rouhani underlined that his country expects the European states not to surrender to the US pressures and bullying.

"We expect the EU to stand against the US illegal measures," President Rouhani said in a meeting with Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg in Tehran.

He referred to the US sanctions on food stuff and drugs against Iran beside economic embargos, and said, "Imposition of such sanctions is a terrorist act and we expect the EU to comply with its human responsibility."

The president, meantime, said the impacts of the US sanctions on Iran have been exaggerated by the western officials and media.

Elsewhere, President Rouhani said that regional security should be established by the countries of the region, and added, "Today, the security of the regional waterways has decreased compared to the past and many regional states, including Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, are not in a proper security conditions."

"All problems in our region are the result of the US wrong and illegal interference in the regional issues," he said.

"We believe that security of this region is important to the security in Europe and the security of the energy route for the entire world and Europe," Rouhani added.

Schallenberg, for his part, underscored Iran's important role in regional security and stability, and said, "Preserving the nuclear deal is our and the EU's main policy and we will do our best efforts to this end."

In relevant remarks on February 22, President Rouhani, in a meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok in Tehran, highlighted that following the US exit from the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Europeans have failed to save the deal and deliver on their commitments.

"Over the past 21 months since the US exit from the JCPOA (the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), the European Union has unfortunately failed to take effective steps in line with mutual relations and the fulfillment of its commitments under the JCPOA," Rouhani said in Tehran.

"We believe that the nuclear deal served the interests of the region and the world and the US move harms all [nations] and even the American people," he added.

Pointing to the US’ “illegal, unilateral and cruel” sanctions against the Iranian nation, which also include medicine and food, Rouhani said, "It is expected that the world’s free nations vociferously condemn these unlawful sanctions."

US President Donald Trump, a stern critic of the historic deal, unilaterally pulled Washington out of the JCPOA in May 2018, and unleashed the “toughest ever” sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism in an attempt to strangle the Iranian oil trade.

In response to the US’ unilateral move, Tehran has so far rowed back on its nuclear commitments four times in compliance with Articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA, but stressed that its retaliatory measures will be reversible as soon as Europe finds practical ways to shield the mutual trade from the US sanctions.

Tehran has particularly been disappointed with failure of the three European signatories to the JCPOA -- Britain, France and Germany -- to protect its business interests under the deal after the United States' withdrawal.

On January 5, Iran took a final step in reducing its commitments, and said it would no longer observe any operational limitations on its nuclear industry, whether concerning the capacity and level of uranium enrichment, the volume of stockpiled uranium or research and development.

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