The United States' withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal proved that domestic criticism of the nuclear deal before and after its conclusion were not justified, says a senior diplomat.
"Assorted claims were made by some quarters against the JCPOA, which have turned out to be false as time passes," Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a speech at an event in Tehran late Saturday, using an acronym for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—the formal name of the 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers.
He said the international agreement opened opportunities for Iran but some had questioned its raison d'être and regarded it as a threat to national interest.
"The JCPOA resolved many issues but none of Iran's policies changed. Iran's regional policy continued. Iran's policy of standing up to global arrogant powers and the Zionist regime continued."
All the positive developments brought the US to a point where it felt a setback and decided to walk away from the deal and resort to a more hostile policy toward the Islamic Republic, Araqchi said.
Sanctions Policy
Apparently it was not in Washington's interest to stay in the agreement, he added. "They came to the conclusion that sanctions against Iran should be reimposed because sanctions and pressure are the most important tools in the US arsenal, and the JCPOA was the main obstacle that had prevented them from using it."
Some kept saying until the last minute that the US will not leave the nuclear pact because it serves its interests, but in the end it became clear that the agreement had greatly benefited Iran, the deputy minister noted.
The way forward for Iran should be decided very wisely and certain remarks should be avoided so as not to make a bad situation worse, he said.
"If we take a measure that could lead to increasing the sanctions, we will be moving in the direction the Americans want," Araqchi added, warning against playing on the enemy's turf.
"I don’t understand why some people welcome the reimposition of sanctions," the senior diplomat said, expressing hope that the remaining participants in the deal would be able to offer Iran a satisfying package by the end of June so that the international agreement can survive.
