JCPOA not renegotiable, the only way to maintain it is lift of US sanctions: President Rouhani

Speaking in a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday evening, Presidnet Hassan Rouhani emphasized that missing the opportunities to maintain and revive the JCPOA could make the situation more difficult, adding, “The stepwise reduction of commitments on the part of Iran was due to the withdrawal of the United States from the deal and the inability of the three European countries to fulfil their obligations, which can be returned immediately after the fulfilment of the obligations of the other parties”.

Dr. Rouhani described the cancellation of the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol by Iran as within the framework of the law approved by the parliament and added, “Our cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency continues and we have not withdrawn from the JCPOA in any way”.

The President emphasized, “Any unconstructive action or position in the Board of Governors could lead to new challenges and complicate the current situation”.

Dr. Rouhani named France as an important actor and said, “Tehran-Paris relations can be developed based on a sustainable vision and with long-term goals for joint bilateral, regional and global cooperation”.

Referring to the coronavirus pandemic in various countries around the world, including Iran and France, the President said that effective confrontation with coronavirus requires the cooperation of all countries in the world, adding, “The United States’ cruel, illegal sanctions has made it more difficult for Iran to deal with this disease and made it difficult for the Islamic Republic to access its financial resources, even for the supply of medicine and medical equipment, and the European Union, especially France, is expected not to remain silent regarding this inhumane act”.

In this telephone conversation, the French President also called for the preservation of the JCPOA a necessity for the international community and stressed the need for the continuation of the talks in order for all parties to return to the full implementation of their commitments”.

Emmanuel Macron stressed the need for the two sides to take the initial steps and said, “Europe is ready to be more active in the coming weeks to revive the JCPOA”.