Not Up to US to Assess Iran’s JCPOA Compliance

Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations said the US is no longer a participant to the 2015 nuclear deal, so it is in no position to comment on Tehran’s compliance with its obligations under the accord.
Alireza Miryousefi, the mission’s spokesman, made the statement in a post on his Twitter account, after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that Iran was months away from being able to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon, IRNA reported.
The top US diplomat alleged that it could be only “a matter of weeks”, if Iran continues to lift restraints in the nuclear agreement, officially named the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
“Iran is still a participant member of #JCPOA, but the US is not. It’s not up to the US to assess whether Iran has made good on its obligations,” Miryousefi tweeted.
He stressed that other issues, apart from Iran’s nuclear program, were not part of JCPOA, and as a result, “our defensive missile program is not up for negotiation”.
Blinken said the US is willing to return to compliance with the JCPOA, if Iran does and then work with Washington’s allies and partners on a “longer and stronger” agreement encompassing other issues.
Iran has said it will row back its noncompliance when the US returns unconditionally to JCPOA and removes sanctions.