"It is election year for the Americans and they are more inclined to
choose a method that will serve their interests in the election,” Zarif
said in an exclusive interview with IRIB in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Sunday.
"They
[US officials] are making a mistake because what they have lost so far
as a result of the escalation of the Iranian nation’s distrust due to
the US lack of commitment has been far greater than what they can
achieve,” he added.
He emphasized that all countries which have
signed the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action (JCPOA), are duty-bound to implement it, adding, "We are also
pursuing its implementation with seriousness.”
"The Islamic
Republic has shown that it has negotiated [with the P5+1 group of
countries] with seriousness and has insisted on [the Iranian] people’s
rights in these negotiations. Iran has also showed the world that the
Islamic Republic is a country that seeks negotiations and dialogue in
order to reach a solution,” the Iranian top diplomat pointed out.
Zarif
said Iran has envisaged different measures under the directives issued
by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei during
the nuclear talks to prevent any possible loss as a result of the
violation of the nuclear agreement by the opposite side.
Ayatollah
Khamenei said on August 1 that Iran’s experience in striking a nuclear
agreement with the P5+1 group of countries, including the United States,
was a clear example of the enemies’ untrustworthiness.
"Today,
even the diplomatic officials and those who were present in the
[nuclear] negotiations reiterate the fact that the US is breaching its
promises, and while speaking softly and sweetly [to Iran], is busy
obstructing and damaging Iran’s economic relations with other
countries,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
On January 16, Iran and the
five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the
United States, Britain, France, China and Russia – plus Germany started
implementing the JCPOA that they had clinched on July 14, 2015.
Under
the agreement, all nuclear-related sanctions imposed on Iran by the
European Union, the Security Council and the US were lifted. Iran has,
in return, put some limitations on its nuclear activities.
