Iran's Ambassador to the United Nations called on world leaders on Monday to take the measures necessary to prevent the United States from undercutting the international agreement over Tehran's nuclear activities known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
"The international community should not allow the US administration to continue to mock and undermine the JCPOA. It is not in the interest of multilateralism and to prevent it is a collective responsibility," Gholamali Khoshroo said in an address to the UN Disarmament Commission in New York.
As verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has fully implemented its commitments under the deal but Washington's "irresponsible and destructive" approach has put the future of the accord in doubt, he said, according to the text of his speech published by IRNA.
"US actions are in contradiction with the letter, spirit and intent of the JCPOA," he noted, adding that the agreement obliges all parties to refrain from any policy specifically intended to directly and adversely affect the normalization of trade and economic relations with Iran.
Nuclear sanctions against Tehran were lifted under the 2015 accord signed with world powers, but major international companies are still wary of providing finance for Iran-related business, fearing potential fines resulting from existing US sanctions.
US President Donald Trump gave the deal a final reprieve on January 12 but warned European allies and the US Congress they have to work with him to fix "the disastrous flaws" in the pact or face a US exit.
Two-Way Street
"The JCPOA is not a one-sided road. Therefore, implementation by Iran of its commitments could continue only if all other parties continue implementing their commitments fully, effectively and unconditionally. It is obvious that Iran will react proportionately to any continued significant non-implementation of the JCPOA commitments by one of its participants," Khoshroo said.
In addition, the ambassador reiterated Iran's policy that the nuclear pact cannot be renegotiated or altered, saying the IAEA is the sole authority to verify the country's adherence to its nuclear-related commitments under the agreement.
"Iran continues to provisionally apply the Additional Protocol to its safeguards agreement and according to the latest IAEA report, the agency has conducted complementary accesses under the Additional Protocol to all the sites and locations in Iran which it needed to visit," he explained.
Khoshroo added that continuation of this situation is dependent on the "unconditional" implementation of the deal by other parties, in particular the US.
Otherwise, Tehran cannot and will not continue to save the JCPOA at any cost, he said, calling it "undoable".
Alarming Trends
In his speech, the senior diplomat also warned against two alarming trends regarding nuclear disarmament, namely the new nuclear arms race and the new race for nuclear arms modernization.
"We should not allow the monstrous shadow of the threat of these inhumane weapons on our life to continue indefinitely. We should consume them all before they consume us all. This indeed is our collective responsibility as it relates to security of each and every one of us."
However, it is obvious that the nuclear-weapon states have a particular and heavier responsibility, Khoshroo said, reminding them of their legal as well as ethical and moral obligation.
"Non-compliance of these states with their explicit legal obligations and unequivocal commitments to eliminate all their nuclear weapon arsenals has clearly proved the lack of their genuine political will in fulfilling their obligations," he said, adding that further concerted efforts are required to confront such policies.
According to the ambassador, one of the immediate measures that should be taken is to compel Israel to join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty without any condition and as a non-nuclear weapon party and to place all its nuclear facilities and activities under the IAEA comprehensive safeguards.
