Iran Rejects US Accusations of Breaching JCPOA Spirit

In a statement on Wednesday, Qassemi blasted the recent remarks by US State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert who accused Iran of violating the spirit of the nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers.

“The US spokesperson is accusing Iran of breaching the JCPOA at a time when the US administration has, over the past two years, always acted against its obligations under the deal through its tension-provoking policies, actions, and decisions,” said Qassemi.

The violation comes as the obligations stipulated in the nuclear deal stress the need for ‘successful’ implementation of the JCPOA based on ‘goodwill’, he went on to say.

“The US has tried, directly or indirectly, to keep Iran from reaping the benefits of the JCPOA. Iran has, time and again, brought up the issue and referred to such US behaviour at the Joint JCPOA Commission,” the spokesman said.

He also dismissed as “unfounded” the US accusations that Iran seeks to destabilize the region.

“Iran is the oldest and most ancient country in the region, and the thousands-year-old history of this region is associated with the name of Iran.”

“Due to this association and sense of cultural, historical and geographical belonging, we have always considered regional peace, stability and security as our own, and we believe the development and welfare of Muslim nations is only possible through the establishment of tranquility and security without the interference of transregional powers,” he went on to say.

He said Iran is more concerned about regional security and stability than the US, which, according to Qassemi, seeks to meddle and trigger insecurity in the Middle East and affect regional equations to serve its own interests and strategic objectives.

He said all of Iran’s military programs are deterrent and defensive in nature, and pose no threat to any country.

The spokesman noted that US officials consider Iran’s “independent” and “illuminating” policies as a threat to their own interventionist, profit-oriented and humiliating policies.

Iran believes the real threat to security and stability in the Middle East is Washington’s interference in regional countries’ internal affairs, which is aimed at provoking insecurity and instability “with specific objectives.”

Qassemi’s remarks came after Nauert claimed that Iran’s “malign activities are serving to undercut whatever positive contributions to regional and international peace and security were intended to emerge” from the nuclear deal. She also accused the Islamic Republic of violating the ‘spirit’ of the nuclear deal.