Islam Times - Iranian MPs: US must give Congress-approved guarantee it won’t quit Iran deal again

Iranian MPs: US must give Congress-approved guarantee it won’t quit Iran deal again

Islam Times - The majority of Iran’s parliamentarians say that in order for a new agreement on the revival of the 2015 deal to be successful, the US government must give a legally firm guarantee that it will not quit that agreement again.

The announcement came through a statement signed by over 250 members of the Iranian Parliament on Sunday, which focused on the situation of the ongoing talks in the Austrian capital on the revival of the accord, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The parliamentarians said the experience gained through past rounds of talks in Vienna shows that unwillingness of the United States and other negotiating parties to provide the necessary guarantees has not only failed to meet Iran’s national interests, but has harmed those interests and caused the deal to fail.

“Therefore, in the new talks, the US needs to provide [Iran with] a necessary legal guarantee that it will not quit the JCPOA again, and this issue must be held up by that country’s decision-making institutions, including Congress, in a totally legal form, so that there would be no obstacle to the implementation [of that guarantee] in the future,” Iranian lawmakers said.

Negotiations have been held in the Austrian capital since April last year to restore the JCPOA, which was ditched by former US President Donald Trump in May 2018.

In quitting the agreement, Trump introduced what he called the “maximum pressure” campaign to bring Iran to its knees. Tehran maintains that the policy has failed dismally. The Joe Biden administration agrees, yet it has not taken any tangible steps to deliver on its promise of repealing the policy.

In recent months, Iran has cited Washington’s indecisiveness as the reason behind the protraction of the talks, as a number of key issues remain unresolved, ranging from the removal of all post-JCPOA sanctions to the provision of guarantees by the American side that it will not leave the deal again.

MPs: No threat to Iran following new agreement
In another part of their statement, the lawmakers emphasized that the lack of any threat against Iran after a new deal is reached, is one of the main conditions for the successful conclusion of the Vienna talks.

However, they added, continued existence of a “snapback” mechanism, under which the United Nations Security Council’s sanctions on the Islamic Republic can be immediately reinstated in case of an alleged violation of the deal by Iran, would mean that such a threat is kept in place to be used against the country and would cause the Vienna talks to fail.

“Therefore, it is necessary to obtain necessary guarantees that in the event of a US return to the JCPOA, the snapback mechanism would not be triggered under various pretexts,” they said.

‘Verbal guarantees not enough’
Pointing to Washington’s imposition of new sanctions on Iranian individuals and institutions in the course of the Vienna talks, the lawmakers stressed that it is necessary that the imposition of new sanctions against Iran be banned under the new agreement. The agreement must also guarantee that the lifted sanctions would not be re-imposed, they said.

The Iranian MPs also noted that Tehran must have the right to export its oil to any country and at any amount agreed upon by the OPEC members, stressing that the Islamic Republic must be able to receive the oil revenue through the international banking system.

It said Iran is entitled to transfer of all financial resources and interests, including revenues from the oil sales and blocked assets from all countries, adding that the negotiating countries must remove obstacles in this path.

“Therefore and without a doubt, oral promises, including the remarks made by the US president, cannot be considered as a guarantee” for the success of the deal, the Iranian lawmakers added.