ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iran will on Friday begin lifting all limitations placed on its enrichment program as part of the 2015 nuclear deal, President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday night, as European signatories have failed to ease the impact of crippling US sanctions that have caused an acute financial crisis for the government.
Iran agreed to voluntary commitments in 2015 as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to place “limitations on all uranium enrichment and uranium enrichment-related activities including certain limitations on specific research and development (R&D) activities for the first 8 years.”
However, President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday night that a third phase in the scaling down its nuclear deal commitments focusing on centrifuge research and development would take place on Friday.
“Our Atomic Organisation is obliged to immediately begin whatever the technical needs of the country in the field of research and development are, and to put aside all the commitments that were part of JCPOA in the field of research and development," he said.
“Iranian actions are within the framework of the regulations of the Agency [International Atomic Energy Agency], of course we are giving 60 days chance to Europe and whenever they deliver on their commitments, we would also return to our JCPOA commitments,” he added.
Brian Hook, the US Special Representative to Iran, described the Iranian announcement as “nuclear extortion.”
“The 40-year history of the Islamic Republic, they’re very good at cat-and-mouse diplomacy; they’re very good at nuclear extortion... We believe this is nuclear extortion. Iran does not need to enrich fissile material to have a peaceful nuclear program,” Hook told reporters on Wednesday.
Severe economic sanctions on Iran have dealt a dramatic blow to the country’s revenue, and opened up long-term grievances by ordinary citizens about rampant state corruption and the embezzlement of billions of dollars of public funds by the country’s ruling elite.
Rouhani met with the head of the judiciary and parliament on Wednesday to agree on further action to tackle the pervasion of crooked officials in government, amid a crackdown that has seen hundreds of officials detained on charges of corruption and misuse of public office in recent months.
The announcement of a continued scaledown of Iran’s commitments comes as President Trump toyed with the idea of meeting Rouhani during the United Nations General Assembly this month. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the ultimate decision maker in the country, has ruled out any further negotiation with the US government.
“Sure, anything’s possible,” President Trump said on Wednesday when asked if there was a possibility of meeting Rouhani at the UN in New York.
However, Trump insisted that he is not prepared to waive sanctions, as required by the recent proposal from France that would allow Iran to receive a $15 billion line of credit in return for full JCPOA compliance and the respect of freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf.
“That’s not happening, that won’t be happening,” Trump said of a potential waiver issuance.
On the same day, US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook announced further sanctions, targeting “illicit” Iranian oil sales.
“Today, the United States Government is intensifying our maximum pressure campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran. First, we are announcing a reward of up to $15 million for any person who helps us disrupt the financial operations of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps and Qods Force,” Hook, who is also a Senior Policy Advisor to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, said.
“The United States today is also taking sweeping action against an IRGC/QF oil-for-terror network. The IRGC has been running an illicit petroleum shipping network over the last several months. This network has moved hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of illicit oil. That money is then used to fund terrorism,” he added.
In response to the fresh sanctions, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif hit out at the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) which enforces the economic sanctions on Iran.
“#OFAC is nothing more than a JAIL WARDEN: Ask for reprieve (waiver), get thrown in solitary for the audacity. Ask again and you might end up in the gallows,” Zarif tweeted on Thursday.
“The only way to mitigate US #EconomicTerrorism (sanctions) is to decide to finally free yourself from the hangman’s noose.”
