Iran reiterates JCPOA not renegotiable

Salehi who is currently in Rome at the official invitation of the Italian officials to attend the International Conference on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (Amaldi) and hold talks with the country’s officials told IRNA that it has been repeatedly said that JCPOA is not renegotiable.

Some demand JCPOA’s technical aspects renegotiated but, the issue cannot be negotiated, he said, noting, “We have on several occasions said that JCPOA has been negotiated once, as Russian foreign minister and EU Foreign Policy Chief Mogherini and China have underlined that JCPOA cannot be renegotiated.”

Salehi reiterated that the best way is to stick to JCPOA, as it is conducive to regional and international developments and strengthening non-proliferation system.

If JCPOA collapses, numerous complications such as the issue of North Korea will come to the fore, the official said, noting that if JCPOA is dismantled, no reason will remain to encourage North Korea to come to negotiating table, as they will surely say a similar one has already been ditched.

“We advise staying in the JCPOA and renegotiation is not acceptable by Iran, as the officials such as foreign minister have repeatedly announced that we will never discuss JCPOA again,” AEOI chief said.

Referring to the US push to walk away from JCPOA, Salehi further noted that if the US pulls out of the deal and countries will follow the suit, Iran’s action will be clear and it will also withdraw from it, prompting the deal collapse automatically.

But if the US leaves the deal alone with the others adhering to it, the situation will be different and making a decision in the field will rest on the Board Supervising JCPOA, he said.

As to his visit to Italy, Salehi said, “We will discuss JCPOA with major international figures during the trip and tour the country’s scientific and research centers.”

Salehi arrived in Rome at the head of a delegation on Thursday to address the two-day international conference ‘Edoardo Amaldi’ themed ‘International Cooperation for Promoting Nuclear Safety and Security and Nuclear Weapons Non-Proliferation’.

The international event slated to mark 60th founding anniversary of International Atomic Energy Agency is to be attended by international figures such as Director General of IAEA Yukiya Amano and EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini.

Some 40 figures from Europe, Asia, Africa and Asia are to deliver lectures during the upcoming event.

Salehi will leave Rome for London on the invitation of British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson.

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