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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a May 6, 2020 address that aired on IRINN TV (Iran) that Iran has scaled down its commitments to the JCPOA in five phases and that things are now once again in a "state of balance." He said that Iran is ready to fully recommit to the JCPOA if the other member states do the same, and he emphasized that an extension of the U.S. arms embargo against Iran would constitute a violation of UNSC Resolution 2231, under which he said Iran has the inalienable right for the embargo to be lifted upon its expiry. Threatening that the implementation of an arms embargo against Iran in any way would result in the "severe consequences" that he said he wrote about in his 2019 letter to the heads of the remaining JCPOA member states, Rouhani said that any weapons Iran manufactures or buys are meant for defensive purposes and in order to "pour water on the fire" rather than to fuel it. In addition, he said that the U.S. should repent, apologize to the Iranian people, pay compensation, and re-implement the JCPOA, but that its current leadership does not have the brains to do this.
President Rouhani: "In five phases, we have scaled down [the JCPOA commitments] as needed. We are now in a state of balance once again. In other words, we withdrew from our commitments... America is irrelevant. It left [the agreement]. The "4+1" [states remaining in the JCPOA] have also withdrawn to a significant extent and now we are in a state of balance. At any time, if they are ready to fully implement their commitments to the JCPOA, we will also fully recommit.
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"What the Americans are now talking about with regard to [extending] the arms embargo... They should know that this is an inseparable part of the JCPOA. If the arms embargo comes back one day - under any name or title, or as part of any mechanism - our response will be in keeping with what I wrote in the last paragraph of my [2019] letter to the heads of the [JCPOA member] states. They know full well what our response will be that day. In the last paragraph of my letter to the heads of the five [remaining member states], I emphasized that if X happens, we will do Y. They know how dire the consequences will be for them if they make this mistake and they know how colossal this historic defeat would be for them.
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"I'd like to stress this once again, so that America and some other countries know: Under no circumstances will Iran accept a violation of [UNSC] Resolution 2231, according to which it is Iran's inalienable right for this embargo to soon be lifted. Obviously, whether we build weapons or buy weapons, they are meant to defend ourselves and [other] peoples. Our weapons do not add fuel to the fire. They pour water on the fire. We use these weapons to put out the flames. We do not allow any war to break out or for any tension to be created. America and other countries that this that the road is clear for their plots, should know that this road is forever blocked for them. The reasonable way is, of course, for America to repent, return to the JCPOA, apologize to the Iranian people, pay compensation, and implement [the agreement]. This is the best way. But the group that is ruling there today will not have the brains to do it. Let us see what will be in the future."
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