Zarif: Iran not needing to enrich uranium beyond caps

Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif told PBS that Iran does not need to enrich uranium beyond the limitations defined by the nuclear deal.

"We have a provision in the agreement that if one side does not fulfill its obligations, the other side may, within the agreement, reduce its commitments," said the Foreign Minister.

In the long term, not immediately, Iran needs %4.5-enriched uranium in order to fuel our nuclear power plant, that’s why Iran accepted to delay that, but sooner or later, it will be needed, he said.

"If the United States and the Europeans don’t fulfill their obligations, then we have the right [to do so]."

Saying that the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was based on "total mistrust", he added as a democracy, Iranian government is responsible for its own interests and people who expect the government to do something in response to US violation of the deal and to European failures.

Regarding the political implication of Iran's move to reduce commitments to the JPOCA on the US, he said, "The political implications are that if you do not abide by your treaty obligations, you cannot expect others to do the same."

"You cannot implement a multilateral treaty unilaterally. One side cannot simply benefit from the positive outcomes of the implementation of a treaty without being prepared to do their part of the bargain."

The Iranian Foreign Minister went on say that "to ease the tensions with Iran, the only thing that it takes is that the US should accept what they agreed to and "recognize the fact that nobody will buy the same horse twice."

Answering a question about US President Donald Trump's claiming that Iran is the greatest threat in the world and on the way to make a nuclear weapon, he said, "Had we wanted to make a nuclear weapon, we would have made it during the time that we paid for it."

"From 2005 till 2013, we actually paid many times in international isolation, in international pressure, in sanctions, in UN Security Council resolutions. Probably nobody received that time of pain."

Iran wanted to build a nuclear weapon, it would have built it then, he said, adding that though Iran can do it, Iran is unwilling to make nuclear weapons and has made is public and clear, and has ideological commitments and strategic considerations not to use nuclear weapons and that Iran believes that nuclear weapons do not augment its security.

Zarif also said that if Trump is looking for the greatest threat, just ask him who is bombing Yemen, imprisoning the Prime Minister of Lebanon, aiding and abetting Daesh and the Taliban, creating havoc in Libya, and Sudan, and butchering a journalist.

Regarding Yemen, he said that there have been many moments to stop the war, e.g. in April 2015, but, unfortunately, the Saudis believed that they could win this war militarily within weeks, so they didn't accept it, adding that even American officials can vouch for that.

He also said that "just one cognitive transformation" is needed: "This war cannot be won militarily," adding that he is ready to meet with the leaders of the UAE, the Saudis, and all the other neighbors "any time" and even "sign a nonaggression pact" with them.

"It just requires an acceptance of reality that we all need to provide our own security regionally and we cannot purchase security from outside… It practically means that we need to work together rather than work against each other."

Zarif said that however, the necessary readiness is not seen on the part of the Saudis to start thinking that a regional mechanism can give them security, not an extra regional one.   

The US supports them "literally" even with murder, he added.

News ID 190602

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