Iran: Trump administration a 'real threat' to Middle East
September 22, 2018
Iran's foreign minister has called on the US to act "like a normal state." And the country's president said US President Donald Trump would fail in his confrontations with Tehran.
Image: Getty Images/J.Thys
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Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Friday the US government was a threat to the Middle East and to global peace, while President Hassan Rouhani said Iran will not give up the weapons that are worrying Washington, as tensions between the two countries continue to escalate.
"It is true that there is a real threat to our region and to international peace and security: that threat is the Trump administration's sense of entitlement to destabilize the world along with rogue accomplices in our region," Zarif tweeted, in English. "The US must start acting like a normal state."
On Saturday, in remarks made at a military parade marking the start of Iran's 1980-88 war with Iraq, Rouhani echoed Zarif's criticisms of Washington, saying US President Donald Trump would fail in his efforts to intimidate Tehran.
"America will suffer the same fate as Saddam Hussein," Rouhani said, referring to Iraq's former dictator. "Iran will not abandon its defensive weapons ... including its weapons that make America so angry."
"The fact that the missiles anger you shows they are our most effective weapons," he said, vowing to increase "our defensive capabilities ... day by day."
'Not normal'
The already strained relations between Tehran and Washington have further deteriorated since May, when US President Donald Trump abandoned the multilateral Iran nuclear agreement and announced a renewal of US sanctions on the Islamic Republic, ignoring pleas from the other parties involved in the negotiations, including Germany, the UK and France.
"It's not 'normal' to break international agreements and commitments against the advice of even your closest allies," Zarif wrote.
The Foreign Ministry's response came a day after Iran hit back at a US offer of negotiations, saying Washington had violated the terms of the last big deal they agreed — the 2015 nuclear deal.
The US special envoy for Iran, Brian Hook, said on Wednesday that Washington was seeking to negotiate a treaty with Iran to include Tehran's ballistic missile program and its regional behavior.
Zarif hit back on Twitter, saying the 2015 deal was not a "personal agreement" but "an international accord enshrined in a UN Security Council resolution."
"US has violated its treaty obligations too... Apparently, US only mocks calls for peace," he wrote in the tweet that was attached to a video of a protester who took to the stage after Hook's speech, shouting that sanctions were hurting Iranian people.
The five other world powers that signed the 2015 deal with the Islamic Republic — France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia — have been trying to save the deal. But so far, none of them have managed to convince Trump.
Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat
A year after Donald Trump pulled the US from the international nuclear accord with Iran, the Middle East nation announced it would no longer adhere to some "voluntary commitments" in the accord.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/D. Calma
The deal breaker
President Donald Trump announced on May 8, 2018 that he was pulling the United States out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, arguing that the international accord was not in America's "national interest." The decision threw a cloud of uncertainty over the future of the nuclear accord and raised tensions with US allies in Europe.
Image: Reuters/J. Ernst
Slap in the face
Britain, France and Germany lobbied the Trump administration and Congress to remain in the nuclear accord, arguing that the deal was working and a US violation without a follow up plan would be destabilizing. In European capitals, the Trump administration's withdrawal was viewed as a slap in the face of allies.
Image: Reuters/K. Lamarque
Iran scrap 'voluntary commitments'
A year to the day after Trump's announcement, Iran informed the other signatories of the accord that they would no longer adhere to certain "voluntary commitments." Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the signatory nations had 60 days to implement promises to protect Iran's oil and banking sectors or Iran would resume the enrichment of uranium.
The decision came after the United States deployed an aircraft, the USS Lincoln, along with a bomber task force to the Middle East. Washington said the deployment was intended as a "clear unmistakable message." Iran said it took action because the European Union and others "did not have the power to resist US pressure."
Image: AP
A triumph of diplomacy
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran nuclear deal, was signed in 2015 by United States, China, Russia, France, Germany and Britain (P5+1) and Iran following years of negotiations. Under the international agreement, Iran agreed to dismantle its nuclear program and be subject to monitoring in exchange for the lifting of international nuclear related sanctions.
Image: picture alliance / landov
Compliance and verification
The JCPOA includes a robust monitoring, verification and inspection regime carried out by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The UN watch dog has verified Iran's compliance with the deal in 12 quarterly reports. The JCPOA allows Iran to pursue a peaceful nuclear program for commercial, medical and industrial purposes in line with international non-proliferation standards.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Schlager
Obama's achievement
The Iran nuclear deal was President Barack Obama's signature foreign policy achievement. Seeking to undo nearly every Obama administration legacy, Trump came into office calling it the "worst deal ever." The Trump administration argues the nuclear deal doesn't address other unrelated issues such as Iran's ballistic missiles, regional influence, support for "terrorist" groups and human rights.
Image: Reuters/Y. Gripas
Iranians approved
The nuclear deal and lifting of punishing nuclear related international sanctions created optimism in Iran after years of economic isolation. However, even before Trump pulled the US out of the deal, Tehran blamed the US for holding back international investment and not fulfilling its end of the bargain due to the uncertainty created by Trump's threats.
Image: picture alliance/AA/F. Bahrami
The opponents
After eight years with Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu found the US president he wanted in Donald Trump. The Israeli leader repeatedly slammed the deal despite his own military and intelligence chiefs' assessment the that JCPOA, while not perfect, was working and should be maintained. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the other main opponents of the nuclear deal.
Image: Reuters/R. Zvulun
Who's left?
The EU-3 (Britain, France, Germany) have scrambled to ensure that Iran receives the economic benefits it was promised in order to avoid Tehran pulling out of the deal. As EU businesses face retaliation from the US for doing business with Iran, many are opting to avoid Iran. This would likely be a present to Chinese and Russian businesses.
