US in Bad Faith, Trying to Minimize Iran’s JCPOA Gains

A high-ranking diplomat said the US unfaithfulness to the landmark nuclear agreement has worsened under the administration of US President Donald Trump, which is making every effort to limit the benefits Iran is entitled to under the 2015 pact, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Addressing an open session of the parliament on Wednesday, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araqchi added that the US government has continued the policy of not fulfilling its commitments under the pact, referring to the US uncooperative approach even under former president, Barack Obama, ICANA reported.                                                             

During the presidency of Obama, who joined five other world powers to sign the nuclear pact with Iran, Iranian officials were frequently complaining that the vague and complicated language of remaining sanctions and strict US position on enforcing them have hindered Iran's economic reengagement with the world.

But Trump, who has adopted a tougher line on Tehran and returned to gunboat diplomacy toward the nation, has been intent on killing the accord, which he has blasted as "the worst deal ever".

In an Oct. 13 speech, Trump vowed to end US participation in the nuclear deal unless its "serious flaws" are fixed.

"The US has sought to minimize Iran's benefits by acting in bad faith and only partially meeting its commitments," Araqchi said, while briefing lawmakers on the implementation of the pact.

For example, Araqchi pointed to the imposition of a raft of new non-nuclear sanctions by Washington, its efforts to push the UN nuclear watchdog toward inspection of military sites in Iran and US travel bans targeting Iranians.

Araqchi, a member of Iran's negotiating team that concluded the deal, said Washington's increasingly antagonistic rhetoric aimed at spreading Iranophobia is scaring away international firms and banks from the Iranian market.

"All these measures are against the spirit and provisions of this international agreement, particularly articles 26, 28 and 29 of the JCPOA", he said, referring to clauses that bar parties from actions that undermine Iran's economic interests and hamper its foreign trade, among other things.  

The latest US move to bolster the anti-Iran sanctions regime came on Tuesday, when a wide-ranging sanctions measure titled "Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act" went into effect.

CAATSA, which was signed into law by Trump early August, targets Iran as well as Russia and North Korea.