TEHRAN - Saeed Khatibzadeh, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, on Monday welcomed Qatar for its efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal though he made it clear that Washington’s commitment to the JCPOA requires no mediation.

“Iran welcomes the Qatari government’s help in saving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” Khatibzadeh told a regular press briefing. 

“Qatar is one of Iran’s regional friends and partners. There have been close consultations between Iran and Qatar at different levels,” he remarked.

It is expected, Mohamad Javad Zarif holds talks with his Qatari counterpart, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, in Tehran on Monday evening.

He emphasized, “Tehran hails any effort to reduce the tensions, but the fulfillment of commitments by the U.S. needs no messages.” 

Noting the U.S. can easily begin to honor its JCPOA commitments, the spokesman said, “It’s a pity that the current administration has become an accomplice in the previous administration’s violation of commitments. This is not a constructive approach and must end.”

The spokesman criticized the Biden administration for pursuing Donald Trump’s policy towards Iran, noting, “The situation is not any different from before January 20, as Washington has maintained the same ‘maximum pressure and crimes’ against the Iranian nation.”

He described the unchanged policies by the new U.S. administration as a disgrace to the politicians whose election campaign was based on the pledge to reverse Trump’s policies.

The JCPOA was signed in 2015 between Iran and six world states —the U.S., Germany, France, Britain, Russia, and China — and was ratified in the form of Resolution 2231 by the UN Security Council.

However, Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the JCPOA in May 2018 and imposed the sanctions that had been lifted by the deal and added new harsh ones.

In May 2019, Iran began to scale back its JCPOA commitments after the remaining European parties failed to fulfill their end of the bargain and compensate for Washington’s sanctions.

In remarks on February 7, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei said Iran will resume honoring the JCPOA in full only after the U.S. removes all sanctions on the country in a practical and verifiable manner.

EE/PA