On July 14, 2015, the US, Russia, China, UK, France, Germany and Iran reached a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) over Iran's nuclear program. Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities in return for relief from international community sanctions.
US President Donald Trump said the agreement was unreasonable because Iran's ballistic missile program, nuclear activities beyond 2025 and the conflicts between Yemen and Syria were not subject to any restrictions. President Trump said he has decided to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and resume serious economic sanctions against Iran.
At this year's United Nations General Assembly, President Trump accused Iranian leaders of exploiting the 2015 nuclear deal to strengthen their foothold on power in Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif discussed the latest from the 2018 UNGA session and Iran's next step.
US President Donald Trump announces his decision to end the US' participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran and his plans to re-impose sanctions lifted under the deal in the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2018. /VCG Photo
In response to Trump's words at the UNGA, Zarif claimed that it was not the low point for Iran-US relations, but a new low for US-world relations.
The EU's three biggest member states have agreed a deal with Russia and China to set up a special payments system to facilitate trade with Iran as global powers set up measures to protect a nuclear deal after the US reimposed sanctions. In other words, they came up with some kind of mechanism which would perhaps allow legitimate financial transactions and bypass the US economic sanctions.
Talking about the future of the nuclear deal, Zarif stated that the US' withdrawal from the agreement was illegal. And Iran would not be in a hurry to retaliate. Iran decided to wait a few weeks to see the result of "E3+2" (three European countries plus China and Russia). "We want those practical measures to be put in place and see how they operate," said Zarif. "Seeing whether private enterprises, government companies, and oil companies can in fact continue to buy oil from Iran, engaging with Iran without the fear of the United States' illegal sanctions."
Political commitments from E3+2 are not enough. Iran wants practical measures and to see those measures put in place. According to Zarif, Iran will consider still sticking to the nuclear agreement and its obligations if other countries continue to do trade with Iran.
During the interview, Zarif stated that Saudi Arabia purchased 67 billion US dollars' worth of weapons and the United Arab Emirates purchased 22 billion US dollars' worth of weapons from the US last year. He criticized the US for being the primary weapons supplier and turning Iran into a warehouse for the most sophisticated conventional weapons and nuclear weapons in the world.
When asked whether the Iranian people could see the benefits of the nuclear agreement, Zarif said the nuclear deal has a number of objectives and one of them is to get economic dividends for the Iranian people.
"Economically we were able to attract some foreign investment for an interaction," said Zarif. "But these investors who came to Iran after JCPOA are now leaving."
Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini, Mohammed Javad Zarif, Foreign Minister of Iran, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Foreign Affairs of France, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and Boris Johnson, UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, are pictured before their meeting on May 15, 2018, in Brussels, Belgium. /VCG Photo
Zarif also believed that things will not get worse for the people of Iran once the second phase of sanctions goes into effect in November. According to Zarif, the effect of sanctions is only on the psychological level and no substantial damage will be brought by the US.
As for China's role, Zarif believed that Iran's relations with China are strong, and he has been assured by Chinese officials that they intend to continue their economic dealings with Iran and continue the purchase of oil.
"China is Iran's number one oil customer and China is the number one trading partner, and China is a very close friend of Iran and we have a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with China," said Zarif.
The Heat with Anand Naidoo is a 30-minute political talk show on CGTN. It airs weekdays at 7:00 a.m. BJT and 7:00 p.m. Eastern in the United States.
(If you want to contribute and have a specific expertise, please contact us at at opinions@cgtn.com)