London-Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State John Kirby rejected recent statements made by Iranian officials regarding the nuclear deal and the “mutual trust between the two parties” stressing that the major issue in Vienna’s deal lies in Tehran’s compliance with the terms of the agreement.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday during a live televised interview: “Had the U.S. implemented the JCPOA in good faith, we may have trusted the opposite side and agreed to enter into negotiations with them on another issue, which would have served the interests of the region, the U.S., Iran and others; however, they did not score well on their test.”
In a press conference on Tuesday, Kirby commented on Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s statements on “Washington failing to live up to nuclear deal promises, proving that it cannot be trusted,” by saying that they are not going to respond to every bit of rhetoric out of Iran on the JCPOA.
Kirby confirmed that the U.S. Administration intends to continue to meet its obligations and commitments under the JCPOA because “we believe it’s that important, because we believe it can have a stabilizing influence on the region and indeed on the world. So where the Secretary’s focus is on doing just that – making sure that we stay in compliance, and, of course, to watch as Iran continues to meet its commitments.”
When Asked whether he continues to try to bring Iran into the Syria conversation, or have brought them in and continue to, Kirby answered that the U.S. side knows of no changes in Iranian plans with respect to the International Syria Support Group. “They are a member; it’s our expectation that they’ll remain a member and remain part of that conversation on Syria,” he said.
On Tuesday, Khamenei said that dialogue with the U.S. had proven to be “a lethal poison,” as Washington had shown that it could not be trusted.
In the meantime, the Wall Street Journal quoted a U.S. official, who preferred to remain anonymous, as saying that the United States airlifted $400 million worth of foreign cash to Iran just as the latter released four Americans it had been holding in prison.
The cash was actually the first installment of a $1.7 billion settlement between the Obama administration and Iran over an old failed arms deal signed just prior to the 1979 fall of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, according to the newspaper.
A number of U.S. officials expressed their resentment from what the Wall Street Journal has published regarding sending $400 million to Iran.
For his part, Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas and a strong opponent of the Iran nuclear deal, accused President Barack Obama of paying “a $1.7 billion ransom to the ayatollahs for U.S. hostages,” the Journal reported.
Iranian press reports quoted senior Iranian defense officials describing the cash as a ransom payment.