Iran News Round Up - September 20, 2017

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif are scheduled to participate in a ministerial meeting of the EU+3 and Iran on the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on September 20 in New York. This will be the first meeting between the two diplomats. (EEAS.eu)

President Hassan Rouhani reacted to President Donald Trump’s threats to leave the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by saying that such an action “would carry a high cost for the United States of America” during an interview with CNN on September 18. Trump has been a vocal critic of the nuclear deal and has stated publicly that he intends to decertify Iranian compliance with the JCPOA. (Mehr News Agency) (CNN) (E)

• Rouhani: EU should pressure the U.S. to uphold its JCPOA commitments. President Hassan Rouhani met with Belgian Parliament Speaker Siegfried Bracke on September 16 in Tehran. Rouhani said that “Iran expects the EU to pressure the U.S. to uphold its JCPOA commitments and to give [the U.S.] a final message.” Rouhani also noted that the “[Iranians] believe that the only entity that can declare Iran’s compliance with its JCPOA commitments is the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA).” European countries have repeatedly expressed their desire to maintain the nuclear deal and have voiced their concerns if the deal were to collapse. (President.ir)
• President Hassan Rouhani met with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on September 18. (President.ir)

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei noted that the U.S. has been “completely oppressive, thuggish, and coercive, despite all of the many agreements, commitments, and discussions.” Khamenei also said that for “important issues that are related to our national interests, retreating [does not exist] in our dictionary.” (Khamenei.ir)

Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) and senior nuclear negotiator Ali Akbar Salehi emphasized that any action to undermine the agreement will affect the entire international community and that he is confident International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano will resist any outside influence. U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry noted that the “U.S. strongly encourages the IAEA to verify Iran’s adherence to each and every nuclear-related commitment under the JCPOA.” (Mehr News Agency) (Press TV) (E) (Reuters) (E)

Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the Supreme Leader Ali Akbar Velayati met with the head of China’s Institute of Middle Eastern Studies Niujin Chun in Tehran. Velayati said both Iran and China are seeking to develop strategic ties and collective efforts are needed in order to overcome existing obstacles between the two countries. (Mehrs News Agency) (Velayati.ir)

Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Secretary Ali Shamkhani warned that the Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum would instigate instability. Shamkhani stressed that Iran’s “security and military agreements” with Iraqi Kurdistan exist by virtue of Iraqi Kurdistan’s relationship with the central government of Iraq. Shamkhani stated that Iran would therefore “terminate” these agreements as well as close border crossings with Iraqi Kurdistan in the event of a secession of Iraqi Kurdistan from Iraq. Shamkhani also stated that any “damage” to Iraq’s unity as a result of the referendum “would lead to the revision of and serious alteration in the existing cooperation between Iran and Iraq’s Kurdistan region.” (Press TV) (E) (Defa Press)