Press TV - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the US administration cannot use Congress decisions as a smokescreen, stressing that Washington seeks to create obstacles to prevent Iran from benefiting from the multilateral nuclear deal.

“The US internal regulations are the concern of this country but from the standpoint of the international community, the US administration is responsible for the implementation of its international commitments,” Zarif said in an interview with the Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency (ICANA), on Tuesday.
“Ultimately, we will make necessary decisions based on US measures,” the top Iranian diplomat pointed out.
He said ill intention has been at work in US policies since President Donald Trump took office on January 20, 2017.

Zarif added that the US administration has been making efforts to prevent Iran from enjoying the advantages of the JCPOA, stressing such bids contradict Articles 26, 28 and 29 of the nuclear accord.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China – plus Germany signed the nuclear agreement on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.

Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.

The US president delivered an anti-Iran speech on October 13, in which he said he would not continue to certify Iran’s compliance with the terms of the JCPOA, reached under his predecessor Barack Obama, and warned that he might ultimately terminate the agreement.

The US Congress now has less than 60 days to decide whether to reimpose economic sanctions on Tehran that were lifted under the nuclear accord.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday once again reiterated Iran’s adherence to the nuclear agreement, stressing that UN inspectors are facing no problems in their verification efforts.



“The IAEA can state that such nuclear-related commitments are being implemented,” the IAEA chief, Yukiya Amano, told a news conference in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, on Monday.

The other parties to the accord - Britain, Germany, France, Russia, China - have all reaffirmed their commitment to it and urged the United States not to back out.