At Last Moment, Iran Refuses To Fulfill Its Obligations Under JCPOA, Demands That U.S. Lift Sanctions First, In Complete Contradiction To The Agreement | MEMRI

At the last moment, Iran is refusing to fulfill its obligations under the JCPOA. According to the agreement, it is now Iran’s turn to meet specific obligations, and once the IAEA confirms it has done so, the West will take measures to ease or suspend some of the sanctions.[1] However, Iran is now demanding to make an essential change to the agreement so that the U.S. first acts to lift the sanctions and only then will Iran meet its obligations. In a December 18, 2015 interview with The New Yorker, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said that some political issues still need to be resolved, hinting at the sanctions, before Iran fulfills its commitments. He also said that Iran is „not dismantling anything, only uninstalling some centrifuges and reconstructing the Arak reactor.“