Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif says that a new U.S. law putting travel restrictions on Iranians will breach the Iran nuclear deal.
The new law in question will require travelers coming from Iran, Iraq, Syria and other countries and “areas of concern” to have a visa when entering the United States. Additionally, any travelers who have recently visited these countries would also be required to have a visa, including those from countries in the visa waiver program.
“If the Congress law is implemented as it is, it would definitely be a breach (of JCPOA),” says Zarif speaking at a press conference today.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran deal, is an agreement between Iran and the United States, U.K., Russia, China, France and Germany regarding Iran’s nuclear program passed this summer. As part of the many provisions in the agreement, Iran will get various economic sanctions relief in exchange for putting certain restrictions on its nuclear program.
It appears that Zarif and critics of the new law are referencing article 29 of the JCPOA text which reads: “The EU and its Member States and the United States, consistent with their respective laws, will refrain from any policy specifically intended to directly and adversely affect the normalization of trade and economic relations with Iran.”
The visa waiver program allows citizens from 38 countries to travel and tour the United States for up to 90 days without a visa. Most of the countries included on the list are European. The new measures signed into law by President Obama Friday of last week would require any person who has traveled to countries of concern within the last five years to obtain a visa from a U.S. consulate or embassy before traveling to the United States.
In an apparent effort to quell any Iranian concerns over the new law, Secretary of State John Kerry sent a letter to Zarif on December 19 which reads “First, I want to confirm to you that we remain fully committed to the sanctions lifting provided for under the JCPOA. We will adhere to the full measure of our commitments, per the agreement. Our team is working hard to be prepared and as soon as we reach implementation day we will lift appropriate sanctions.”
It appears the letter was not successful in addressing Zarif’s concerns, given his comments at today’s press conference.
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