May 12, 2018 — Iranian regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei has time and again changed his position on the Iran nuclear deal. Now and then he would canvas the accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as a “making of various officials,” attempting to distance himself from any negative consequences. It is now known that all the while, Iranian nuclear negotiators enjoyed his blessing to become completely involved in talks with the “Great Satan,” read the United States.
However, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the JCPOA, all of a sudden Khamenei claimed, “Didn’t I say you can’t trust their words?”
Khamenei intends to place the entire JCPOA blame burden on the faction of Iranian regime President Hassan Rouhani. All the while, in the same speech he said he has told them “to get true guarantees before entering any agreements.”
“I don’t trust these three countries either,” Khamenei added referring to the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.
These contradictory remarks of seeking “true guarantees” while having no trust in the European Troika all signal the very grave crisis the Iranian regime is engulfed in. As a reminder, last year Khamenei boasted of torching the JCPOA and shredding it to pieces if the U.S. exited the accord. Now Khamenei and his regime are literally on their knees begging the Europeans.
“It is now crystal clear that his second JCPOA will be very negative in comparison to the first round. Even if the negotiating team seeks guarantees from the Europeans, which [Khamenei] believes is unlikely, this second JCPOA will be nothing like the initial version,” according to the state-run Sharq daily.
This means the Europeans will not be able to resolve anything for Iran’s regime. Khamenei understands this better than anyone. Having no other option is the reason he refuses to acknowledge this subject.
In an attempt to save face, Rouhani recently said, “The JCPOA will either remain or be terminated. If it stays, it will remain in full. Otherwise, everyone will say goodbye.”
It is worth noting that the Iranian regime’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has time and again, “It is all or nothing.”
At the end of the day, the Iranian regime must choose between the return of crippling sanctions and the pre-JCPOA circumstances under the UN Charter’s Chapter 7 conditions, or succumb to demands and enter new negotiations with bloodied knees. This will lead to further and increasing demands, targeting the very essence known as the Iranian regime.
Originally published at freedomstarblog.wordpress.com on May 13, 2018.