Khamenei Sets Seven Conditions for Iran’s Continued Participation in JCPOA with Europeans

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei strongly criticized the new policies of the United States toward Iran and its withdrawal from the JCPOA, while simultaneously setting seven conditions for the Europeans, stating that if implemented, Iran would remain in the nuclear agreement.

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic on the evening of Wednesday, June 2, at an “iftar ceremony” with officials of the Islamic Republic, referring to the withdrawal of European companies from presence in Iran, said that the country’s economy cannot be corrected through a “European JCPOA.”

He presented six conditions for the continuation of the JCPOA with European countries and threatened that if these conditions are not implemented, Iran will resume its previous nuclear activities.

“Issuing a resolution against the United States in the UN Security Council,” “not raising Iran’s missile program and regional actions in negotiations,” “guaranteeing trade with Iran by European banks,” “guaranteeing complete sale of Iran’s oil,” “compensating for past breaches of faith,” and “countering American sanctions” are six conditions set by Ayatollah Khamenei for Iran’s continued participation in the JCPOA.

Regarding his seventh condition, he said: “If the Europeans procrastinate in responding to our demands, Iran’s right to begin nuclear activities is preserved.”

The Iranian leader, in explaining his first condition, said: “Three European countries 13-14 years ago (the Saadabad Agreement during Mohammad Khatami’s administration) committed a major breach of faith … they must prove that today they will not have that dishonesty and breach of faith.”

He claimed: “In the past two years, America has repeatedly violated the JCPOA and the Europeans remained silent. Europe must compensate for that silence.”

Ayatollah Khamenei also, stating that “America violated UN Security Council Resolution 2231 by withdrawing from the JCPOA,” called on “Europe to issue a resolution against America’s violation.”

UN Security Council Resolution 2231 was issued in endorsement of the Vienna nuclear agreement.

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic emphasized that Europe “must commit to not raising the issue of the Islamic Republic’s missiles and regional actions.”

He emphasized: “Europe must counter any sanctions against the Islamic Republic and stand clearly against American sanctions.”

“Guaranteeing complete sale of Iran’s oil” and “guaranteeing trade with Iran by European banks” are other conditions set by Ayatollah Khamenei.

Following the announcement of America’s withdrawal from the JCPOA, European countries announced that they would remain in the agreement.

They have asked Iran to adhere to its commitments and announced their efforts to find ways to escape the strict American sanctions against European companies operating in Iran.

Severe Criticism of American Policies and Withdrawal from JCPOA

The Iranian leader, in a major portion of his Wednesday remarks, severely criticized the new policies of the United States toward Iran and its withdrawal from the JCPOA, saying that Washington “like the famous cat in the Tom and Jerry story will be defeated again.”

Ayatollah Khamenei claimed that following the February 1979 revolution, America has “organized various” political, economic, military, and propaganda measures against the Islamic Republic.

He emphasized that America’s goal from these measures was to “overthrow” the Islamic Republic, and this word has been repeated recently.

John Bolton, at a gathering of the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization, had announced that we will celebrate the year 2019 in Tehran, referring to the overthrow of the Islamic Republic’s government that year.

However, Mr. Bolton, who is now the National Security Advisor to Donald Trump, President of the United States, announced on May 13 that regime change in Iran is currently not on the “agenda” of the Trump administration.

Ayatollah Khamenei says that all American measures over these 40 years have “failed” and “like the famous cat in the Tom and Jerry story will be defeated again.”

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic added: “The current president of America will also have no better fate than his predecessors like Bush and the neocons and Reagan and will be lost in history.”

Khamenei’s remarks came as the foreign exchange market in Iran collapsed on the eve of America’s withdrawal from the JCPOA.

Also, the Hassan Rouhani administration, despite issuing government circulars and police pressure, failed to control the prices of foreign currencies, and according to reports, the dollar price reached seven thousand tomans, and the prices of currencies of Iran’s neighboring countries, including the Turkish lira and UAE dirham, have seen significant increases against the Iranian currency.

On Monday, Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, by announcing “12 conditions,” said that his administration will “impose the harshest sanctions in history against Iran and if the Iranian government does not change its behavior, the pressure of sanctions will increase.”

Stopping uranium enrichment, releasing imprisoned American citizens, halting the development of ballistic missiles, stopping support for groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah of Lebanon, and Islamic Jihad, non-interference in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen affairs, non-support for the Taliban, ending threats to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, are among the 12 demands of America from the Islamic Republic.

Hours later, however, the President of Iran described the words of the American Secretary of State as similar to the words of the officials of George Bush’s administration 15 years ago and said: “Who are you to decide for Iran and the world and tell Iran what it should do in the field of nuclear technology.”

The words of the American Secretary of State were welcomed by a number of American allies, including the governments of Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, while several other American allies raised criticisms and doubts.

“The Islamic Republic Cannot Engage with America”

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, in another part of his Wednesday statements, also said that we should not “console ourselves with unimportant things.”

He added: “When they say that in the JCPOA issue, America has been defeated morally and in terms of prestige. Did we negotiate so that America would be dishonored, or did we negotiate so that sanctions would be lifted? Now they have said that secondary sanctions will also return.”

Hassan Rouhani and officials of his administration considered America’s withdrawal from the JCPOA as causing “disrespect” for this country in the international arena.

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic acknowledged that the goal of the nuclear negotiations was the lifting of sanctions, while he has always considered Western sanctions ineffective.

The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic in 2011, in response to Western sanctions, said: “One remembers the famous cartoon character Tom and Jerry cat. Its movement is excessive and its noise is excessive and its size is large, but the result of its work is not what it expects or what viewers expect.”

He had emphasized: “Really that’s exactly how it is. It depends on your cunning. They said smart sanctions or paralyzing sanctions; but we see that these sanctions were neither that smart, nor paralyzing.”

Ayatollah Khamenei in his Wednesday remarks considered one of the “lessons” of America’s withdrawal from the JCPOA to be the point that it proved “the government of the Islamic Republic cannot engage with America.”

He emphasized that this incident is “the answer to those” who said “why don’t you negotiate and engage with America.”

Before direct negotiations between Iranian and American officials in Hassan Rouhani’s administration over the nuclear issue, the two countries in the final years of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s administration had secretly negotiated with each other several times at the level of Deputy Foreign Minister in Oman.

Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization in Hassan Rouhani’s administration and Foreign Minister in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s administration, had said that these negotiations took place with the permission of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and Ayatollah Khamenei ordered that only nuclear issues be discussed.

Khamenei also said on Wednesday: “In dealing with the JCPOA, political and media figures should avoid blaming each other. Fair criticism is not objectionable, but insult and desecration should not occur and bipolarity based on the JCPOA should not arise.”

Following America’s withdrawal from the JCPOA, close associates of the Supreme Leader have severely attacked Hassan Rouhani and the nuclear negotiating team, examples of which include the statement of Ahmad Jannati, Chairman of the Assembly of Experts, and the remarks of Friday prayer leaders.

Source: Radio Farda