Iran in compliance with JCPOA: Zarif to Blinken

"It remains unclear whether @POTUS and @SecBlinken are ready to bury the failed “maximum pressure” policy of Trump and @mikepompeo, and cease using #EconomicTerrorism as bargaining “leverage”," Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote in a tweet on Tuesday.

"Iran is in compliance with the #JCPOA. Just read paragraph 36," he added, stressing, "Time to change course."

His tweet came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed on Monday that it remains unclear if Tehran is willing to take steps to return to compliance with the Iran nuclear deal.

"We've been engaged in indirect conversations ... for the last couple of months, and it remains unclear whether Iran is willing and prepared to do what it needs to do to come back into compliance," Blinken told a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

This is while the US government under former President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and unilaterally reimposed sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its JCPOA commitments from May 2019. Iran's actions were carried out in accordance with the provisions of the nuclear deal, including Article 36, which allows Tehran to reduce its obligations under the JCPOA if other parties do not comply.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has stated that, given that the United States has violated the JCPOA and that Tehran's actions were in response to a breach of the Washington covenant, any action by Iran will be taken after the lifting of sanctions and verification of this claim.

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