On May 3, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif posted a five-minute video on YouTube outlining Iran’s position on the possibility of the United States exiting the nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany.

Speaking in English, Zarif says that as part of the deal, Iran had agreed to “take certain concrete steps to assuage the concerns of the United States primarily” in regard to its nuclear program. The United States in turn, he said, “committed to remove sanctions and cease impeding business with Iran.” Zarif added that although the JCPOA is not an international treaty, it is binding because the UN Security Council endorsed the agreement with its passage of Resolution 2231 (2015).

Zarif said the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's watchdog for the agreement, has consistently confirmed that Iran has “implemented all of its obligations,” a total of 11 times, since the conclusion of the deal in July 2015. “In contrast,” he said, “the US has consistently violated the agreement, especially by bullying others from doing business with Iran.” Tehran has long complained that the US Treasury has been intentionally vague with European companies in regard to sanctions in order to hinder investment in Iran.

Zarif rejected European proposals to revisit the deal to fold in other issues in an attempt to “appease” US President Donald Trump and prevent him from reneging on the agreement. Zarif said the negotiators for the deal had all agreed to exclude certain matters, such as Iran’s “missile capabilities and regional influence,” from the nuclear talks. Zarif dismissed the possibility of negotiations on these issues as a result of concerns in the West, and countered that Iran is the party with “serious grievances.”