TEHRAN - An expert on international affairs says the U.S. administration should know that Iran, as it has repeatedly stated, will respond in kind to any step taken by the other parties.

In proportion to a lifting of sanctions and return of other parties to the nuclear deal – JCPOA – Iran will abide by its commitments, in the same manner, Hassan Oji wrote in an article on Tuesday. 

Following is an excerpt of his article about the need for practical steps by the West to fully restore the nuclear agreement:

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed between Iran and the P5+1 countries on July 14, 2015 and confirmed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231. The JCPOA was intended to build trust on Iran's nuclear program, as well as removing economic barriers and lifting sanctions during the presidency of Barack Obama. However, despite the Islamic Republic of Iran's sincere fulfillment of the JCPOA-related commitments, unfortunately, the fulfillment of these commitments was unilaterally violated by the ruling Republican team in the United States. 

The team, led by Donald Trump, always called the JCPOA the worst deal with the aim of completely destroying it. It proceeded to illegally withdraw from the agreement and reinstate sanctions, contrary to Security Council Resolution 2231. Trump's unilateral move to impose harsh sanctions based on the policy of “maximum pressure” and “economic terrorism” has done great harm to the Iranian people and economy. 

The maximum pressure, intended to undermine the economic, political, and social cohesion of Iran, targeted the economic security of different segments of the people. And even in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. did not abandon any action against the Iranian people.

With the end of a tumultuous four-year term of President Donald Trump’s sanctions, and with the new Democratic team in the White House, Biden has been insisted on returning to the nuclear deal from the beginning. 

Even in an official memo to CNN in September 2020, he explicitly stated that the United States would return to the nuclear deal if Iran adhered to its strict compliance, but nevertheless after nearly a year, we have been witnessing the new U.S. administration's misguided approach to the Islamic Republic of Iran, so that despite the promises of the new U.S. team, not only we have not seen the lifting of sanctions, but some members of Biden's foreign policy team, including Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, even on live television shows openly see the Biden administration's goal as building a consensus to impose smart sanctions on Iran and isolate Tehran.

The double standards policy of the U.S. President was demonstrated on November 9 as Biden extended U.S. national emergency against Iran for another year. The move once again showed the face of the United States towards Iran that Washington is unscrupulous and untrustworthy. Undoubtedly, such direct and indirect actions by U.S. officials, who have targeted the health and livelihood of the Iranian people, demonstrate their unwillingness to engage in constructive dialogue in the form of a return to the JCOPA.

The U.S. administration should know that the Islamic Republic of Iran, as it has repeatedly stated, will appropriately respond to any step taken by the other parties and in proportion to a lifting of sanctions and return of other members to their obligations under the nuclear deal, it will abide by its commitments in the same way. Biden, therefore, should be well aware that a U.S. return to the JCPOA means the lifting of very extensive sanctions imposed by the Trump administration on Iran under various laws and executive orders, including oil sanctions and under the pretext of counterterrorism, human rights...

Accordingly, at present, and with the start of negotiations on November 29, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not consent to return of the United States to the JCPOA except for a complete lifting of sanctions and fulfillment of commitments by the United States and Europe. It should be clear to them by now that the extravagant policies of the United States and some of its regional allies will never intimidate Iran into giving up its grand goals of national interest.

Given the breaking of commitments and gross violation of international law and the hostile actions of the United States against the Islamic Republic of Iran in recent years, now is the time for the United States to rebuild its image in the eyes of the Iranian people and show its goodwill vis-à-vis the Iranian people as well as the international community with a complete lifting of sanctions. In this regard, the United States needs to consider the following steps to show its goodwill:

1- Completely lift sanctions imposed by the United States against our country;

2- Commit itself to implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 within the framework of international law;

3- Return to the full implementation of the JCPOA and lifting arms sanctions against the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps of Iran and illegal sanctions against Iranian individuals, companies and organizations:

4- Withdraw forces from the region and avoid interfering in regional crises;

5- It should guarantee that it will not quit the JCPOA agreement again, even if the U.S. governing body changes;

6- Apologize and condemn terrorist acts, including the martyrdom of General Qassem Soleimani, who fought against ISIS terrorists;

7- Compensate the economic damages caused by the United States to the Islamic Republic of Iran due to the violation of its obligations towards the JCPOA and the UN resolution.