Kerry: There is a heated debate in Iran over the choice between missiles and negotiations
According to FCNN, on Tuesday, April 8, the US Secretary of State defended the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers before a Senate meeting to consider easing financial restrictions against Tehran.
The US Secretary of State, acknowledging the strong criticism of the agreement, which was concluded to prevent Iran from reaching the US Secretary of State, told the MSNBC television network that even in Iran, there are heated discussions about whether Iran should choose missiles over negotiations.
"I think what you're seeing is tension" between moderates and hardliners over Iran's future path, he said, according to the Associated Press.
It seems that the US Secretary of State is referring to the statements of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who on April 1, while defending Iran's missile program, accused critics of the program within the country of "treason" or "ignorance."
Following these remarks, the fundamentalists and their affiliated platforms launched fierce attacks on Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Expediency Discernment Council, who a week earlier had said in a tweet attributed to him: "Tomorrow's world is a world of discourses, not missiles."
Mr. Hashemi responded by saying that "his comment was from seven years ago."
The US Secretary of State told MSNBC television: "Iran needs to make some clear decisions about the role it is going to play in the region and the world."
John Kerry stated that "if they (the Iranians) want to cheat, we will know about it."
His remarks came hours before a question-and-answer session of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the implementation of the Vienna Agreement, where Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon is scheduled to testify.
The meeting comes as reports suggest the Obama administration may ease a ban on the use of the dollar in trade with Iran. Opposition lawmakers in the Republican-controlled Congress say Iran is benefiting more than it deserves from the Vienna deal.
While no decision has yet been made by the Obama administration, the Associated Press reports that US officials have told the agency that the Treasury Department is preparing a blanket authorization that would allow financial institutions outside the US to use dollars in foreign exchange transactions to support legitimate trade with Iran. Iran is currently unable to use dollars for its trade.
The release of these reports comes as US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Monday that the Barack Obama administration does not intend to allow Iran to access the US financial system.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was agreed on July 13 last year by Iran and six world powers, under which Tehran agreed to shut down many of its nuclear activities in exchange for the release of billions of dollars in assets frozen in foreign banks as a result of international sanctions. However, despite the fact that three months have passed since the JCPOA came into effect, Iran says it has not been able to reap its benefits.
The Associated Press says that members of the committee are likely to pressure Mr. Shannon to impose tougher sanctions on Iran, as Tehran has violated a Security Council resolution by conducting missile tests.
This is despite the fact that officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran have repeatedly stated that conducting these tests does not contradict the JCPOA or Security Council Resolution 2231.
Source: Radio Farda
