On June 7, Zarif published a copy of his letter to foreign ministers of other JCPOA signatory countries, which asserted that the United States, by unilaterally abandoning the agreement, has violated international law, and that Tehran expects "unconditional" compensation from other parties if Washington re-imposes nuclear-based sanctions on Iran.
My letter to fellow foreign ministers on steps to take to address US' unlawful withdrawal from JCPOA. Its ever-expanding economic bullying requires action to save not just the accord, but multilateralism and the rule of law. pic.twitter.com/qoJszbKzOM
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) 7 июня 2018 г.
"If JCPOA is to survive, the remaining JCPOA participants and other economic partners need to ensure that Iran is compensated unconditionally through appropriate national, regional and global measures," he wrote.
"In line with Iran's commitment to legality and the peaceful resolution of international disputes, the Islamic Republic of Iran has decided to resort to the JCPOA mechanism in good faith to find solutions and to determine whether and how the remaining JCPOA participants and other economic partners can ensure the full benefits that the Iranian people are entitled to derive from this global diplomatic achievement," he added.
The JCPOA, also known as the Iranian Nuclear Deal, was signed in 2015 by Iran and the US, along with five other countries: France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China. According to PressTV, Zarif's letter is addressed primarily to the three European Union countries.
Scrambling to save the deal, the European signatories have already taken some measures to protect their businesses in Iran. On Wednesday, they wrote a letter to Washington, asking the US not to go ahead with its planned "secondary sanctions" against European firms active in the Iranian market.
In his letter, Zarif reminded his counterparts that the very terms of the agreement and UN Security Council resolution 2231, which endorsed the agreement, gives Iran the "unquestionable" right to take "proper action" in the face of "numerous unlawful acts by the US, particularly its withdrawal from the agreement and its unilateral re-imposition of all sanctions."
"I should like to emphasize that the United States cannot be allowed to benefit from its unlawful withdrawal from the JCPOA, nor can it threaten or compel other states into violating a Security Council resolution," Zarif pointed out.
Earlier this week, Ayatollah Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, also called on Europeans not to stand idly as the US exerts pressure on the country.
European nations cannot expect the "Iranian nation to both put up with sanctions and give up its nuclear activities and continue to observe limitations," the Shiite cleric noted.
Zarif also condemned US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's recent 12-point ultimatum to Tehran, calling his allegations unfounded. On May 21, Pompeo delivered the list of demands and threatened to impose the "strongest sanctions in history" on Tehran, should it fail to comply.
Pompeo "openly threatened the rest of the world that any actor that does not cease dealing with Iran will be punished," Zarif wrote.
"I am confident that your esteemed government is fully aware of the falsehood of the allegations against my country and the illegality of the US Secretary of State's demands," he added.
