Iran Cleric Declares JCPOA Era Over, Says U.S. ‘Not Trustworthy’ for Talks
TEHRAN — A senior Iranian cleric declared on Friday that the era of the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has ended, insisting that the United States cannot be trusted in any future negotiations.
Speaking during Friday prayers in Tehran, Ayatollah Seyyed Ahmad Khatami accused Washington of bad faith and hostility toward Iran, saying, “The U.S. tore up the deal before the eyes of the world. How could such a country ever be a reliable partner for dialogue?”
Khatami condemned what he described as U.S. hypocrisy, saying that while American officials claim friendship with the Iranian people, “they installed a dark, torturing regime in our country and built spy networks that conspired against the nation.”
The cleric also blamed former U.S. President Donald Trump for ordering the assassination of key Iranian figures, including Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. He accused Washington of fueling instability in the region and aiding in the creation of the extremist group ISIL.
“From the American viewpoint, anyone who resists their malice is labeled a terrorist,” Khatami said, warning that “the logic of America is the logic of force.”
He reiterated that reopening talks with Washington would represent “political foolishness and a failure to understand U.S. deceitful behavior.”
The JCPOA, signed between Iran and six world powers in 2015, aimed to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The deal effectively unraveled after the Trump administration withdrew from it in 2018 and reimposed sweeping sanctions. Efforts to revive the accord under subsequent U.S. and Iranian administrations have since stalled.
