Iran Jails Another US Citizen; Accuses Trump of “Violating Nuclear Deal”
On the eve of the deadline for President Trump to grade Iranian compliance with the nuclear deal, Iran’s foreign minister accused him of violating the accord, while the administration called on the regime to release U.S. citizens held on “fabricated” security charges.
The raised rhetoric comes three months into an administration review of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal, and at a time when JCPOA critics in Congress are urging Trump to determine that Iran is not abiding by its commitments.
Ever since the agreement began being implemented Tehran has accused the U.S. of not keeping its part of the bargain.
But the criticism has grown of late, sparked by a Senate vote last month for tough new bipartisan Iran sanctions, and by Trump’s appeal during the recent G20 summit in Hamburg for countries not to do business with Iran.
Citing the president’s G20 stance, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Sunday that the U.S. “has failed to implement its part of the bargain.”
“President Trump used his presence in Hamburg during the G20 meeting in order to dissuade leaders from other countries to engage in business with Iran,” he told CNN.
Calling that a violation of the “letter” of the JCPOA, Zarif added that the U.S. “needs to bring itself into compliance with its party of the obligation under the deal.”
