World stood alongside JCPOA against US: Deputy FM

Mashhad, Feb 24, IRNA – Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araqchi said that the world has stood alongside the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) against the US. Addressing a meeting of members of Khorasan Razavi Parties House in Mashhad, he added that before the JCPOA, all the world was beside the US against Iran but after that all countries came towards the nuclear deal defying the US. Therefore, Iran is currently considered one of the influential powers across the world. Following JCPOA, Iran’s position has changed dramatically as Trump has described it as the most disgraceful deal for the US, the senior nuclear negotiator said. Prior to the deal, Iran’s nuclear program was a forbidden drive in the international scene, he said, noting that Iran’s influence after the accord changed in such a way that UN Security Council names Iran as the guarantee of peace in the region. This is while Iran was previously considered a threat to the region and the world, Araqchi said. Before the JCPOA, the case of PMD was open against Iran which was suspicious of seeking nuclear weapon, he said, arguing that the landmark deal closed the case, which according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was the biggest alleged case against Iran. In the wake of JCPOA, enrichment was not suspended in the country; rather industrial enrichment was recognized for Iran, Araqchi said. Iran’s power as well as its nation’s resistance drew major world powers to the negotiating table, resulting in conclusion of the JCPOA, he said. 1378/IRNA