Iran rejects amendment to JCPOA
Iran on Wednesday ruled out again the possibility of making any change to the 2015 nuclear deal it has signed with six world powers.
Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi said Iran will neither renegotiate the landmark agreement nor accept any amendment to it.
“Our stance is clear. The JCPOA must be implemented without a word dropped or added and that there is no possibility for renegotiation,” Araqchi said before meeting his Russian counterpart Sergey Ryabkov in Tehran, using the agreement’s technical title.
US President Donald Trump on January 12 reluctantly agreed to waive sanctions against Iran that were lifted as part of the JCPOA, but said it would be the last time he issued such a waiver unless his conditions were met.
Trump once again threatened to withdraw from the nuclear deal if some “disastrous flaws” were not fixed, saying that he wanted America’s European allies to use the 120-day period before sanctions relief again comes up for renewal to agree to tougher measures and new conditions; otherwise Washington would pull out of the deal.
Araqchi, who was a key member of Iran’s negotiating team in the course of nuclear talks, said Iran has ramped up its diplomatic efforts as it has been discussing the issue with Russia, China and the European Union in a bid to save the agreement.
The diplomat urged all parties to the deal, the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, to remain committed to the JCPOA, warning that violation of the international agreement would have consequences.