Iran Not to Accede to Any Change in JCPOA: Velayati
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Ali Akbar Velayati, an international adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, rejected the notion that Iran would renegotiate the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and said Tehran will never accede to any change in the deal.
Speaking to reporters after his meeting with a group of Syrian university teachers in Tehran on Tuesday evening, Velayati said it is Washington’s illusion that the JCPOA can be reformed.
“Iran is not going to agree to adding anything to or removing anything from the JCPOA,” he added.
“The same thing that has been implemented over the past two years, should (continue to) be implemented,” stated Velayati, who is also a member of an Iranian supreme council tasked with monitoring JCPOA implementation.
“If the Europeans and Americans make (preserving the JCPOA) conditional on Iran’s adherence to new conditions, including missile affairs, which are our most important defensive weapons, and limiting Iran’s presence in the region, we will never accede to it,” he added.
The remarks came as French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump recently indicated they want to aim for a new deal to curb Iran's ballistic missiles program that would run alongside the existing international nuclear pact.
Iran has repeatedly underlined that test of missiles is an issue relating to defense of its territorial integrity and has nothing to do with the 2015 nuclear deal.
In a speech from the White House on May 8, Trump accused Iran of sponsoring terrorism and seeking nukes before announcing the US withdrawal from 2015 agreement between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).
Following the controversial decision, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iran weighs plans to remain in the agreement with the other five parties, provided that they ensure full benefits for Iran.
In a speech last Wednesday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei urged that any decision to keep the deal running without the US should be conditional on “practical guarantees” from the three European parties to the JCPOA.
