US opponents of last year’s nuclear deal are bent on restricting Iran’s access to the benefits of the historic nuclear agreement, a negotiator said.
“Those opposed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action have been trying to limit its benefits for the Islamic Republic of Iran,” said Abbas Araqchi, who also leads the Foreign Ministry’s office for the pact’s implementation.
Araqchi was using the formal title of the accord, which was negotiated with the US and other powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear program in return for providing relief from economic sanctions, IRNA reported.
But Iran is exasperated that the action plan has been in effect for over seven months and it has yet to attract the expected dividends after reconnecting with global markets in the absence of sanctions.
A ban under residual US sanctions prohibits the use of US dollar in Iran-related transactions and bars international banks from processing such transactions through the US financial system.
Araqchi said US hardliners, Israel and its lobbyists and Saudi Arabia, who opposed the negotiations leading to the accord, strove to prevent its implementation, but to no avail.
“Today, they are trying to reduce Iran’s benefits from the action plan and undermine [JCPOA’s] merits,” he said.
“With US hostile policies still in place, the Islamic Republic will continue negotiations to compel it to respect Iran’s rightful demand for full access to JCPOA’s advantages.”
