US losses outweigh gains in JCPOA breaches: Iran FM

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the US losses as a result of its lack of commitment to its obligations under last year’s nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries outweigh any benefits Washington may reap.

“It is election year for the Americans and they are more inclined to choose a method that will serve their interests in the election,” Zarif said in an exclusive interview with IRIB in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Sunday.

“They [US officials] are making a mistake because what they have lost so far as a result of the escalation of the Iranian nation’s distrust due to the US lack of commitment has been far greater than what they can achieve,” he added.

He emphasized that all countries which have signed the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), are duty-bound to implement it, adding, “We are also pursuing its implementation with seriousness.”

“The Islamic Republic has shown that it has negotiated [with the P5+1 group of countries] with seriousness and has insisted on [the Iranian] people’s rights in these negotiations. Iran has also showed the world that the Islamic Republic is a country that seeks negotiations and dialogue in order to reach a solution,” the Iranian top diplomat pointed out.

Zarif said Iran has envisaged different measures under the directives issued by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei during the nuclear talks to prevent any possible loss as a result of the violation of the nuclear agreement by the opposite side.

Ayatollah Khamenei said on August 1 that Iran’s experience in striking a nuclear agreement with the P5+1 group of countries, including the United States, was a clear example of the enemies’ untrustworthiness.

“Today, even the diplomatic officials and those who were present in the [nuclear] negotiations reiterate the fact that the US is breaching its promises, and while speaking softly and sweetly [to Iran], is busy obstructing and damaging Iran’s economic relations with other countries,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

On January 16, Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia – plus Germany started implementing the JCPOA that they had clinched on July 14, 2015.

Under the agreement, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the European Union, the Security Council and the US were lifted. Iran has, in return, put some limitations on its nuclear activities.