President Hassan Rouhani put up a feisty defense of the July 14 nuclear deal with major powers, casting the subsequent UN resolution issued to endorse it as an “unprecedented” achievement.
“We dealt with the United Nations, avoiding war, imploring or capitulation by treading a legal path founded on logic,” Rouhani said in a live appearance on state TV on Sunday.
“This is a great, unprecedented accomplishment, politically and legally.”
Provisions of the UN resolution, adopted in compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the formal title of the nuclear accord, testify to the fulfillment of Iran’s purposes of engaging in negotiations, the president said.
“Resolution 2231 recognizes our nuclear rights … and removes sanctions,” what Tehran was aiming for in nuclear talks, he was quoted by IRNA as saying.
Rouhani dismissed criticisms from opponents of the pact that it endangers state secrets and undermines defensive capabilities, noting that thanks to the resolution, an embargo on heavy weapons and the missile program has been reduced to “time-bound restrictions.”
The resolution allows for supply of ballistic missile technology and heavy weapons, such as tanks and attack helicopters, to Iran with UN Security Council approval.
The restrictions on ballistic missile technology are in place for eight years and on heavy weapons for five years.
Rouhani said, “We will not allow even the country’s smallest secrets, whether scientific, commercial, societal or military, to be compromised for the sake of the deal.”
UN inspections of nuclear and non-nuclear facilities as part of the mechanism for monitoring Iran’s implementation of the JCPOA, which was a major sticking point in negotiations, is feared by some officials to give away national secrets.
Beyond Expectations
The president said what Tehran attained from the agreement is beyond expectations.
“Today’s achievement exceeds yesterday’s expectations.”
To allay concerns frequently expressed by critics that the West cannot be trusted to adhere to its commitments under the deal, Rouhani said this was taken into serious consideration by the negotiators and effective measures and provisions have been stipulated in the JCPOA to ensure that.
He also said, “The idea that Iran is left with no more than two options before the world, either surrender to it or defeat it, defies logic because there is a third way of interaction with the world.”
“I strongly believe in constructive cooperation with the world within the framework of national interests to reach a win-win agreement.”
Asked about the implications of the accord for Tehran’s regional policies, Rouhani said Iran’s “principles” will never be affected by the agreement.
“However, the agreement will definitely create an atmosphere conducive to quick resolution of conflicts by political means,” he said.
The nuclear pact showed diplomacy and engagement are the only way to solve serious political problems and they should be applied to the Yemeni and Syrian crises, the president added.
