Iran’s top general stunningly rebuffs Europe and the USA. He declares that his country does not want to resume compliance with the 2015 nuclear treaty.

Iran’s top military commander has rejected the prospect of Tehran resuming cooperation with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers led by the US.

In remarks to Iranian official media Gen. Hossein Salami — the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) — said that the JCPOA was “no longer necessary,” irrespective of whether the incoming administration of US President-elect Joe Biden tries to renegotiate the 2015 deal.

Outgoing President Donald Trump withdrew from it in May 2018, denouncing what he called a “horrible” agreement while attempting to entice Iran’s leaders into fresh negotiations.

Subsequently Iran announced it was violating aspects of its agreement, most recently saying they are enriching uranium to a level of twenty per cent — making it far easier to raise its Uranium- content further to nuclear bomb levels.

Salami said that Iran now faced a situation in which it had “no need for the JCPOA, whether or not the US rejoins the deal.”

Salami, whose IRGC was designated by the US as a “terrorist organization” in April 2019, added that it was “a divine pledge that our enemies plots will backfire.”

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani visits a nuclear power plant in Bushehr, Iran, on January 13 2015. Photo by Iranian Presidency Office.

Salami’s negative comments about the JCPOA came two days after the foreign policy chief of the European Union affirmed its ongoing support for the 2015 deal.

“The EU reiterates its strong commitment to and continued support for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.” Josep Borell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said in a statement.

“The JCPOA is a key element of the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture and an achievement of multilateral diplomacy, endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council through resolution 2231.”

Without referring directly to its missile strike capability, or its nuclear development, General salami had in September issued a dire warning. Iran, he said, is capable of attacking its enemies anywhere. He added that the destruction of Israel is an “achievable goal,” the semi-official Fars news agency reported.

“Today, we can attack the enemy with any intensity and precision and in any area,” warned Salami.

“In the first phase of the Islamic Revolution, we created the capacity to destroy the illegitimate Zionist regime, but in the second phase, we must remove this regime from the world’s geography … this is no longer a dream and is an achievable goal,” he added.

Salami has previously made threats against Iran’s “enemies,” warning that any country which attacked Iran would become a “battlefield.”