Zarif: Implementation of law on Additional Protocol, Govt's duty

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said here on Wednesday that the government is duty-bound to implement the law approved by Majlis (Parliament) on the voluntary implementation of Additional Protocol.

Iran will stop its voluntary measures with regard to Additional Protocol as of February 23, Zarif told reporters on the sidelines of cabinet session held this morning.

Voluntary implementation of Additional Protocol will halt, but inspection of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) continues, Zarif added.

In a recently-held interview with Japan's Kyodo news agency, Zarif said the Majlis law has to be implemented.

When the window closes, Iran will enrich further uranium and promote nuclear development, Zarif told the news agency.

Iran has been loyal to the Safeguards Agreements and will remain so, the foreign minister told reporters adding that Iran is a member of Non-Proliferation Treaty and the IAEA Safeguards Agreement and "will continue with membership."

Iran had voluntarily accepted the Additional Protocol which guaranteed the IAEA intrusive inspections. The Additional Protocol has not been included in the context of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), but the legislative body passed a law to stop the voluntary acceptance of the Additional Protocol, said Zarif stressing that Iran will consult with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi due to his request and "this will happen."

Meanwhile, Iran is ready to hold talks with the IAEA to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion, he noted.

The most important point is that IAEA inspection will naturally continue just like inspections it conducts in other countries, Zarif underlined.

"We are in the JCPOA," he said, adding that Iran is a country which has always been faithful to its commitments.

As soon as US lifts the sanctions and other parties fulfill their commitments, Iran will reciprocate their action by reversal of the reduced commitments.  

On the first anniversary of the US 2018 exit from the deal, Iran started reducing its commitments from the JCPOA, step-by-step, and based on Articles 26 and 36, in May 2019. Meanwhile, Iran will come back to commitments as soon as the other side does so, according to Iranian officials.

Asked about the new US policies under the new US Administration, Zarif said if they have reached the conclusion that Trump's maximum pressure policy has been defeated, continuation of such a policy will not help them.

All Iran's remedial measures are reversible, Zarif underlined; however, they should not think that they can use illegal maximum pressure policy as a tool for putting pressure, if they think so, Iran will be dealt with by remedial measures.

Referring to the Tuesday remarks made by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that “the path to diplomacy is open right now,” Zarif said the nuclear talks have arrived at a conclusion after two years of direct, bilateral, trilateral and multilateral talks, so the international agreement (JCPOA) has no need to be renegotiated; what it needs is implementation.

An agreement is "give and take," said Zarif stressing that if they think they can change the agreement, they make a mistake.

Asked about the possible visit of the IAEA director general to Iran, Zarif said if he comes to Iran, those who will talk to him are members of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI).

"Our colleagues at the AEOI try to remove his concerns."

About a telephone conversation held between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Swiss counterpart, Zarif said that no message he carried. Meanwhile, their talks focused on US faithfulness to the deal and reversal of of Iran's remedial measures afterwards.

They [US officials] will soon understand that time is not of benefit to them, Zarif noted.

News ID 192824

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