Rouhani’s Political Deputy: Returning to the JCPOA or Making Changes to It Is No Longer Possible

Rouhani’s government political deputy: Returning to the JCPOA or making changes to it is no longer possible

Hamid Aboutalebi, the political deputy of the presidency in Rouhani’s government, wrote on his Twitter page

Returning to the JCPOA or making changes to it is no longer technically possible because

1. After Russia’s attack on Ukraine and the developments in Taiwan, the new interests of Russia and China are no longer aligned with the West, and their power dynamics and strategic cooperations have been disrupted. Therefore, the 5+1 mechanism has become ineffective.

2. Technically, for the West, returning to the JCPOA means accepting the expiration of missile sanctions later this October and the expiration of nuclear sanctions, which implies the necessity to assist in the development of Iran’s nuclear activities with the end of Resolution 2231 in 2025, which is certainly in favor of Russia and China in terms of commercial and military cooperation.

Therefore, in the new situation and the role of Russia and China, the West’s return to the JCPOA will be impossible. The JCPOA, technically and temporally, cannot endure. The remaining hope in Pandora’s box has vanished, and the fact that the U.S. considers diplomacy the only solution to the nuclear issue is nothing but direct and comprehensive negotiations with Iran.