Khamenei’s Warns the Nuclear Team

Rooz Online

The announcement last week by the US Department of Treasury that new companies and individuals had been added to the list of violators of the sanctions against Iran brought forth a quick response from Iran. But even after the country’s specialists broke off their talks with representatives from the P5+1 powers in Vienna and flew to Tehran, some officials called for a stronger response to the enlargement of the list.

Despite this, the spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry Marzie Afkham told reporters that the recent actions were in fact not a violation of the Geneva accord because, in her words, “The measures by the United States Treasury have nothing to do with new sanctions. In fact, actions by the US Treasury are in line with the law that has existed and only names of new companies that had violated the law had been added to the list. Some media have created the impression that US Congress has passed new sanctions against our country whereas this has not yet happened.” She also said that these new measures were not a violation of Zarif’s remarks about the Geneva deal.

These remarks notwithstanding, hardline principlist personalities have a different interpretation. They have expressed their complaints over the Treasury’s action and have called on Hassan Rouhani’s administration for a stronger response.

After the announcement of the enlargement of the blacklist by the US, Iran’s team of experts in Vienna that was holding talks with the P5+1 powers, which includes the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China) that are signatories to the Geneva November 24 nuclear deal, broke off the talks and returned to Tehran. The deputy foreign minister for international and legal affairs Abbas Araghchi announced, “The double game or confusion that we witness is not to the benefit of the talks that we are holding and is against the spirit of the Geneva accord.” According to Araghchi, “Americans claim that their action is part of the enforcement of the previous sanctions and that these companies had been added to the blacklist because of their past violations. We however believe that under the current conditions and at a time when we are engaged in a constructive atmosphere, such actions are completely unproductive. We strongly object to these and view the action as unproductive and contrary to goodwill. We are currently examining the situation and will respond appropriately.”

In the meantime, Parviz Soroori, the number two man at the Rahpooyane Enghelab Eslami (Followers of the Islamic Revolution) group announced that Iran’s negotiations team “had to announce that it would not return to the talks and that the nuclear deal had ended; unless the P5+1 powers engaged in confidence building.” He added that “Iran had to officially announce the withdrawal of the US from the deal so that the agreement could move on in the right path. Otherwise, the other party will be the winner.”

At the same time, Yadollah Javani, the advisor to the supreme leader at the Revolutionary Guards Corps told Tasnim news agency (affiliated to the Guards), “Our country will not only not suspend its peaceful activities but shall increase their intensity if the other parties to the agreement break their commitments.”

Right-wing principlist media also proclaimed the action of the US Treasury to be a violation of the Geneva nuclear accord. Fars news agency asked, “How should Iran respond if the P5+1 countries fail to fulfill the provisions of the Joint Plan of Action. While commentators were mostly concerned about US Congress, US government itself took the initiative and by enacting new sanctions, making it unnecessary for Congress to take action so as to advance a dual track policy as a way to show that they are both committed to the agreement while at the same time satisfying the hardline groups in the US and the region, and consequently put Iran on the defensive.”

Jahan News website also joined the chorus and presented remarks by a rightwing Majlis representative Ali-Reza Zakani. According to Jahan News Zakani said, “The supreme leader had envisioned such a day many years ago when he spoke to the sixth Majlis representatives during a visit. Ayatollah Khamenei told them ‘I have warned some enticed officials what the goals of US pressures are so that once that point was identified and arrived at, pressures would stop. I will tell you what that point is. It is for you to announce – even though neither you nor I have such a right - on behalf of the Iranian nation that we do not want Islam, the Islamic republic or a popular government; Bring anyone who you think is qualified to run the country. This is the goal. The country then will be held hostage. How can you or I give the country to the enemy? We do not have such a right.’”

In his vocal opposition to the nuclear deal, Zakani recently also announced that ayatollah Khamenei had sent a warning to the country’s negotiations team. He said the leader had said, “Under the current conditions, one must know how to talk and how to not retreat from the goals so that the opportunity can be attained to negotiate, through the internal organization of the regime.” Zakani added, “The supreme leader has told the team to increase its demands at the next round of talks.”

Prior to this, speaking to an interviewer at Iran’s state-run national radio and television, Mohammad Javad Larijani, the head of Iran’s Majlis, had said that the Geneva nuclear deal lacked a “legal basis.”