These absurd charges (and they are absurd indeed: do you really think Barack Obama and John Kerry are failing to comply scrupulously with every provision of the Iran deal?) are just designed to wring more concessions out of the U.S. Ad they will probably succeed.
“Iran Accuses U.S. Of Breaching Nuke Deal,” by Adam Kredo, Washington Free Beacon, March 3, 2016:
Senior Iranian officials this week accused the Obama administration of failing to uphold its end of the nuclear agreement, saying that the Islamic Republic has not been given full access to international banking tools.
The Iranian leaders “lashed out” at the United States in their comments and maintained that the Islamic Republic continues to have many disagreements with the Obama administration, according to remarks published in the country’s state-controlled media.
“Our differences with the U.S. have remained in place,” Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, a key figure in the nuclear discussions, said Wednesday in front of reporters in Tehran.
“They have not been resolved yet,” Zarif added, explaining that the implementation of the nuclear deal has not soothed relations between Washington and Tehran.
The comments come on the heels of an election in Iran that ushered in a large number of hard-line candidates who hold anti-American views. The Obama administration has declined to comment on the outcome.
The speaker of Iran’s parliament, Ali Larijani, also accused the U.S. of failing to uphold the nuclear agreement.
“After the deal, Iran fully implemented its end of the bargain. Unfortunately, other parties are yet to fully commit themselves to the deal and reciprocate,” Larijani said Wednesday during a meeting in Tehran with Romania’s foreign minister.
Larijani took aim at the United States and other Western governments for not moving quickly enough to grant Iran access to international banks and other markets.
This “delayed compliance” by the West has prevented Iran from moving forward “with its policies and plans to normalize and expand economic, trade, and banking ties with its international partners,” Larijani said, according to the state-controlled Fars News Agency.
When asked to comment on the rhetoric, a State Department official told the Washington Free Beacon that Iran’s comments are misleading and that the U.S. has upheld all of its responsibilities under the deal.
“In exchange for the [International Atomic Energy Agency]-verified completion of Iran’s nuclear steps, we have taken all of the necessary steps to lift the nuclear-related sanctions we committed to lift on Implementation Day,” the official said.
Final vote tallies published following last Friday’s election in Iran show that a large number of hard-line candidates won seats in Iran’s parliament and on its powerful Assembly of Experts, which will install the next Ayatollah.
Obama administration officials continue to tell reporters that they are reserving judgment until more is known about the election results.
While regional experts do not expect the election to spark greater moderation in Tehran, those elected support the nuclear deal, particularly the $150 billion received in sanctions relief….