Two top Iranian generals advise US to back down in light of Washington's failed policy

Amid ongoing talks between Iranian negotiators and the current parties to the 2015 nuclear deal to revive the historic accord, two top Iranian generals have weighed in on the issue, advising the enemy to back down in the light of Iran’s inalienable right to a peaceful nuclear program.

According to the chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Iran will go back into full compliance with its nuclear obligations once all of the sanctions the US imposed on the country are removed by Washington and the move is verified by Iran.

“That is when Iran will be, as has always been, honest and committed to its obligations and will return to its obligations,” Major General Mohammad Baqeri said in remarks on Saturday, echoing Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s strategic approach with regard to the issue.

Iran and the remaining parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – commonly named the Iran nuclear deal -- including Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany -- are in Vienna to discuss the details of efforts to restore the deal after the United States left the accord in 2018, and following almost three years of repeated attacks by the former US administration to destroy the deal.

Iran argues that it is the US that needs to first come back to honoring the JCPOA since it initially created the current crisis by its withdrawal and subsequent illegal sanctions on Iran.

The negotiations, which began early this month, have been described as “constructive” and “businesslike” by the sides, but they have not led to any concrete agreement so far.

The talks will continue next week.

Ayatollah Khamenei had already said that Iran will retrace its nuclear countermeasures, which it took as a response to the US withdrawal and its reimposition of sanctions, after Washington lifts its sanctions in a manner that could be verified by Tehran.

General Baqeri referred to former US President Donald Trump’s so-called maximum pressure policy against Iran, saying an enemy who used to threaten the Islamic Republic had to leave the stage disgracefully.

He said Tehran’s experience shows that Democrats always make empty promises while hatching plots against the Islamic Republic, adding that the Biden administration has brought about nothing but empty promises and deceptions.

‘Enemy has to accept nuclear Iran’

Meanwhile, Brigadier General Gholamreza Jalali, who chairs Iran’s Passive Defense Organization, said that the enemy has no choice but to accept a peaceful and strong nuclear Iran.

Jalali said the US administration’s failed maximum pressure campaign was its last resort to stop the progress of Iran’s nuclear program.

“Thank God, the sanctions obstacle will soon collapse with .... the strong will of the Iranian people,” he added.

The senior commander said that the nuclear issue has become a symbol of the Islamic Republic’s power.

“Today, the enemy knows that Iran’s nuclear activities are peaceful in nature but opposes it because this technology and industry guarantees Iran’s growth and progress,” he added.

On Thursday, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for political affairs told Press TV that the United States has to remove all of its illegal sanctions “in one step” before expecting the Islamic Republic to resume full compliance with its nuclear undertakings.

“The US must lift anti-Iran sanctions [and only] then Tehran would resume compliance with [the] JCPOA,” Abbas Araqchi said.

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