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Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Sunday the 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers burnished Iran’s image in the international arena.
Araqchi made the remarks at a press conference in Tehran, marking the first anniversary of the implementation of the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Araqchi, who is the head of the JCPOA follow-up committee, further said the 2015 deal foiled attempts by the US and enemies to sell a “false image” of the Islamic Republic, using Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program as a tool.
In the pre-JCPOA era, enemies were trying to portray Iran as “a threat to international peace” by hyping up Iran’s nuclear program and claiming that the Islamic Republic was “after nuclear weapons,” said Araqchi, stressing, however, that the nuclear deal thwarted all those attempts.
Iran and the P5+1 countries – the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany – finalized the text of the JCPOA, in Vienna on July 14, 2015, following marathon negotiations, in what was praised as a win for diplomacy.
Under the JCPOA, limits were put on Iran’s nuclear drive in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all nuclear-related bans against the Islamic Republic.
The UN Security Council later unanimously endorsed a draft resolution turning the JCPOA into international law. All 15 members of the body voted for the draft UN resolution, setting the stage for the lifting of the Security Council sanctions against Iran.
‘Legitimate’ nuclear activities
Araqchi, a senior negotiator in the nuclear talks, added that the deal helped nullify the six anti-Iran resolutions passed by the United Nations Security Council under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, and fully closed the case of the so-called possible military dimensions (PMD) of Iran’s nuclear program.
Chapter VII of the Charter allows the Security Council to “determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression" and to take military and non-military action to “restore international peace and security.”
Araqchi further said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has now been recognized as a legitimate and powerful player on the international stage,” adding that Tehran’s nuclear activities are now viewed as “legitimate” in the international community.
The UNSC is now encouraging world countries to cooperate with Iran on its peaceful nuclear activities, he pointed out.
The senior diplomat highlighted the achievements of the JCPOA in the domestic areas, saying Iran’s nuclear program continues to make progress.
He said nuclear-related bans had affected Iran’s different parts of the Iranian economy, including energy, oil and gas, transportation, as well as the financial and banking sector, he said, noting that problems have been resolved in the first two fields, Araqchi said.
The situation has been normalized in oil sales, shipping industry, oil tankers and civil aviation, but the functions of the banking system have not fully returned to normal due to hurdles not related to the JCPOA, he noted.
US wrench-throwing
The deputy FM accused Washington and its allies of having done whatever in their power, over the past year, to throw a wrench in the implementation of the JCPOA, but Iran’s vigilance foiled all such plots.
“In the last 12 months, we have witnessed delays and the disrespecting of promises by the US and some countries. Their hostility increases by the day,” Araqchi told reporters.
US President-elect Donald Trump vowed during last year's campaign to tear up the agreement, considered a key victory for President Barack Obama.
Araqchi said it made little difference who was in the White House, as international law required Washington to implement the deal.
“Whether it’s Obama or Trump, the US president is committed to cancelling laws that are against it,” Araqchi said, adding that there would be no further discussions with US officials.
“Our nuclear negotiations with the Americans are finalized and we have no other political talks with them," he said. "In our view, everything is over.”
© Iran Daily 2017
