Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 20
By Emil Ilgar – Trend:
Iranian Foreign Minister has reacted to U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s statement on nuclear deal with Tehran.
The agreement between the P5+1 Group (US, UK, France, China, Russia plus Germany) and Iran, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was implemented in January 2016.
Tillerson on April 19 accused Iran of 'alarming ongoing provocations' to destabilize countries in the Middle East as the Trump administration launched a review of its policy toward Tehran.
Tillerson told reporters that the review, which he announced on Tuesday, would not only look at Tehran's compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal but also its behaviour in the region which he said undermined U.S. interests in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon, Reuters reported.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted Apr.20 that “Worn-out US accusations can't mask its admission of Iran's compliance w/ JCPOA, obligating US to change course & fulfill its own commitments”.
President Donald Trump ordered the review to evaluate whether suspension of sanctions related to the nuclear deal was "vital to the national security interests of the United States," Tillerson said.
Though there was no sign the Trump administration intended to walk away from the deal, Tillerson twice cautioned that if left unchecked Tehran could become a threat like North Korea, which is also under pressure over its nuclear ambitions.