Envoy to UN: Iran has to verify every US step to undo Trump's wrongs

A top Iranian diplomat says Tehran would have to verify every step regarding the removal of US sanctions on the Islamic Republic.  

Iranian Ambassador to the UN Majid Takht Ravanchi made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Khamenei.ir, the official website of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

Takht Ravanchi said the United States has imposed three types of sanctions against Iran. 

"If even one of them is not lifted, the US return" to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) which former president Donald Trump left in 2018 would be pointless, he said. 

President Joe Biden has indicated his government's willingness to return to the agreement, but Washington has been dragging its feet on taking any meaningful measure to undo the former US government's wrongs. 

Takht Ravanchi said, “Simply saying that 'I am ready to return to the JCPOA or that I have returned' but sanctions are not lifted in action will be worthless.”  

“We cannot simply settle for the signature of a letter. If the signature is not coupled with a process for verifying the actions, it will be pointless,” the Iranian diplomat said.

For example, “if it is announced that Iran oil sanctions are lifted, it should be coupled with guarantees, so that there will be no problem to sell oil and buyers will be able to easily transfer money to Iran through the international banking system,” Takht Ravanchi added. 

The Iranian ambassador to the UN touched on Iran's experience with the Europeans who "told us to wait, and that they would compensate, but they even failed to deliver on their own obligations”. 

Leader: Iran wants to see action on nuclear deal, won’t settle for words

Ayatollah Khamenei says Iran will not accept mere verbal promises in the case of the 2015 nuclear agreement this time around and needs to see action on the part of the co-signatories.

When Trump abandoned the JCPOA, the Islamic Republic cooled its heels as the Europeans tinkered with a special trade channel for an entire year to purportedly blunt the former US government's efforts to pile economic pressure on Iran. 

When the channel finally became operational, it proved a dud as it did not carry out any of the tasks which the Europeans had promised Iran it would.

Takht Ravanchi's remarks echo the announcement early this month by Ayatollah Khamenei who said Iran's "final and irreversible” decision is to return to compliance with the nuclear deal only if Washington lifts sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

"If they want Iran to return to its commitments, they must completely lift all sanctions in practice, and not just in words or on paper,” the Leader said in a televised speech. 

"Then we will verify and see if they have been properly lifted, and then return,” Ayatollah Khamenei said. 

"This is the definitive and irreversible policy of the Islamic Republic, and all of the country’s officials are unanimous on this, and no one will deviate from it.”

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