TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani warned on Wednesday that Iran “will never accept” violation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal.

“It is the absolute right of Iran to be removed from the arms embargo (list) within the framework of the 2231 resolution,” Rouhani told a cabinet meeting.

Under Resolution 2231, an arms embargo against Iran will expire in October.

However, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is preparing an argument that the U.S. remains a participant in the Iran nuclear accord that President Trump has renounced. That claim comes even as President Donald Trump clearly stated in May 2018 he was “terminating the United States’ participation” in the JCPOA.

Rouhani  warns, “A return of arms embargo on Iran under any title… or mechanism will lead to dire consequences.”Pompeo’s move is part of an intricate strategy to pressure the United Nations Security Council to extend arms embargo on Tehran or see far more stringent sanctions reimposed on the country. 

Diplomats and analysts say it is absurd that the United States is still a participant to the JCPOA. 

Rouhani said, “If we build a weapon or purchase it, it will be for defending the people. Our weapon is not fuel on fire, it is water on fire and we will not start a war.” 

Rouhani added, “The United States and certain other countries must know this path (extending arms embargo) is closed to them.”

The president asked the U.S. to return to the deal and compensate Iran for the losses.

“It is the best way for the United States to repent, return to the JCPOA [the 2015 nuclear deal] and apologize to the Iranian people and pay for the harm. However, I think this administration will not come to its sense.”

Rouhani threatened Iran will respond if arms embargo is extended.

“The United States must know what it argues about arms embargo is an inseparable part of the JCPOA. Our response to extension of arms embargo will be the same that I wrote to leaders of the 4+1 group. I wrote to them in the last paragraph that if they make a mistake, it will be a historic defeat for them,” the president pointed out. 

5+1 group has been renamed 4+1 as the U.S. is no longer a party to the multilateral deal.

Rouhani added, “A return of arms embargo on Iran under any title… or mechanism will lead to dire consequences.”

“They [the U.S.] have no way forward and no way to backward,” Rouhani noted.

He noted that the U.S. is no longer a party to the JCPOA.

“Unless they request again and all the parties accept and remove all the sanctions and that also has certain conditions,” Rouhani reminded.

Rouhani also said that the U.S. knows its withdrawal from the JCPOA was a mistake.

‘Iran to return to full implementation of JCPOA if others do so’

Rouhani also said that Iran will return to full implementation of the JCPOA if other signatories do the same.

In May 2019, exactly one year after the U.S. unilaterally quit the deal and imposed sanctions on Iran, Tehran began to gradually reduce its commitments under the JCPOA to both retaliate for Washington’s departure, and Europeans’ failure to honor their commitments.

On January 5, Iran took a fifth and last step in reducing its commitments and said it would no longer observe any operational limitations on its nuclear industry, whether concerning the capacity and level of uranium enrichment, the volume of stockpiled uranium or research and development. However, Iran has insisted if the Europeans honor their obligations it will immediately reverse its decisions.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said that Europe must ensure Iran’s benefits from the nuclear deal if it wants the deal to survive.

NA/PA