All JCPOA signatories must remain committed to obligations: Rouhani

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says all signatories to the landmark nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries must completely fulfill their commitments under the deal.

In a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault in Tehran on Tuesday, Rouhani said the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was an “important event on the international scene,” adding, "The message of this deal for the world was much more important than its text."

“The JCPOA carried the message that complex international issues can be solved through dialogue and within the framework of a win-win approach,” the Iranian president stated.

He urged all countries to protect and promote the deal “because any damage to it can convey this dangerous message to the world that diplomacy is not capable of solving problems.”

Rouhani said the JCPOA created an appropriate opportunity for bilateral cooperation and regional and international interaction.

“As verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has fulfilled all its obligations [under the JCPOA] and all [other] sides must also make efforts to implement its contents without any lapse or delay,” he pointed out.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China - plus Germany signed the JCPOA on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.

Under the nuclear agreement, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.

Since the implementation of the JCPOA, the IAEA has confirmed Iran’s compliance with its obligations under the nuclear agreement in several reports.

Read more:

• IAEA confirms Iran’s removal of excess centrifuges from Fordo site

Need for global cooperation on terror fight

The Iranian president further stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation among all countries across the world in the fight against terrorism.

Iran, as a victim of terrorism, is at the forefront of the battle against this vicious phenomenon in the region, he said, adding that France can also play a key role in this regard and help promote stability in the region.

Referring to the campaign of the Syrian government and nation against terrorist groups, Rouhani said, “As we have emphasized since the outset of the Syrian crisis, it has no military solution and must only be settled through political approaches.”

He called for dispatching humanitarian aid to Syria, reconstructing the war-ravaged country and fighting terrorist groups, particularly Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as al-Nusra Front, and Daesh Takfiri groups while safeguarding Syria's territorial integrity.

The Iranian chief executive said Syria also needed a political change, which should be carried out only by its own people.

The Syrian army troops and allied fighters have been fighting against different terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the Middle Eastern country since 2011, and have made sweeping gains against Takfiri elements across the country.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday hailed the will of his countrymen as one of the major factors helping the Arab country survive the foreign-sponsored conflict over the past six years.

Read more:

• Syrians’ will helped country survive crisis: Assad

The French foreign minister, for his part, stressed the importance of looking after the JCPOA as an international accomplishment.

Ayrault said the European Union is pursuing a single strategy to safeguarding the JCPOA achievements.

He hailed Iran’s positive role on regional and international issues and expressed hope that the country would continue such a policy.

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