Call for Emergency Meeting With P5+1 on ISA

A lawmaker called for an emergency meeting between Iran and international parties to the 2015 nuclear agreement to address Tehran's grievances over a US Congress bill to extend the Iran Sanctions Act for 10 years.

Republicans have made repeated attempts to counter the accord, in force since January to remove sanctions against the Islamic Republic following curbs on its nuclear program.

In its latest move, the US Congress almost unanimously passed the ISA bill, which is expected to be signed into law by President Barack Obama before the end of this month, when ISA would expire.

ISA was first adopted in 1996 to target Iran's energy sector.

Iran's Parliament, in a statement earlier this month, urged the government to act on a 2015 Majlis bill in response to a US Congress measure.

The bill titled "The Iranian Government's Reciprocal Action on Implementation of JCPOA", which refers to the agreement by its formal name the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, stipulates the response expected of the government against any violation of the pact by the other side.

Mohammad Mehdi Boroumandi, a member of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, renewed the parliamentary call in a talk with ISNA on Tuesday.

"For reciprocal measures, we will definitely act within our rights and one such measure could be demanding that an extraordinary meeting convene between Iran and P5+1," Boroumandi said.

P5+1 stands for the group comprising six powers, namely the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany, that negotiated the deal with Iran.

Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and other Iranian statesmen have railed against the Congress move as a breach of the historic pact and threatened to retaliate.

"The current US administration … has so far committed numerous infringements in relation to the nuclear agreement," Ayatollah Khamenei said last month.

"If the renewal [of the ISA] is enforced, it would constitute a violation of the JCPOA, and they should know that it would definitely prompt a response by the Islamic Republic."

JCPOA says, "The US administration, acting consistent with the respective roles of the president and the congress, will refrain from reintroducing or reimposing the sanctions … it has ceased applying under this JCPOA. Iran has stated that it will treat such a reintroduction or reimposition of the sanctions … or such an imposition of new nuclear-related sanctions, as grounds to cease performing its commitments under the JCPOA in whole or in part."

President Hassan Rouhani has asked his US counterpart to refrain from approving the ISA bill.

"Even if the US president signs the measure and then suspends its enforcement, we will consider it a breach of the JCPOA and will respond to it," he said.

A committee of top Iranian officials tasked with monitoring the commitments of P5+1 convened last week to decide how to respond to the legislation.

Fars News Agency said on Monday that the Joint Commission will meet next month to discuss the ISA issue.

The commission is a panel of representatives from all parties to the deal assigned to monitor it and address issues arising from its implementation.