US Secretary of State John Kerry (L), Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R)
US Secretary of State John Kerry has said the bond between Washington and Tel Aviv is �œunbreakable” and has vowed to consult the Tel Aviv regime on a final deal with Iran over its nuclear energy program.
Kerry met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday in al-Quds (Jerusalem) and assured him that measures would be taken to �œprevent the further erosion of sanctions” imposed by the US on Iran.
�œWe say to any country that contemplates moving ahead of sanctions: don�™t, because those sanctions will continue to be enforced,” Kerry said.
On November 24, Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany inked an interim deal in Geneva to pave the way for the full resolution of the West�™s decade-old dispute with Tehran over its nuclear energy program.
As part of the deal, Iran has agreed to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities, and the United States and its allies have agreed to lift some of the economic sanctions and offer access to a portion of the revenue that Tehran has been denied through these sanctions. No additional sanctions will be imposed.
However, Kerry says Washington will continue to �œaggressively enforce” sanctions against Iran over the next six months.
�œThe fundamental sanctions regime of oil and banking remains absolutely in place, it has not changed. And we will step up our enforcement through the Treasury Department and appropriate agencies of the United States,” Kerry said on Thursday.
Kerry also vowed to consult Netanyahu on a final deal between Iran and the P5+1 over Tehran�™s nuclear energy program.
The Republican Majority Leader of the US House of Representatives and the highest-ranking Jewish member of Congress, Eric Cantor, is also pushing for a bipartisan bill that would dictate the terms of a final deal between Iran and the P5+1. According to a GOP aide, Cantor wants a final deal that would include a total prohibition on uranium enrichment.
Meanwhile, the White House says that Washington does not recognize Iran�™s right to enrich uranium. US National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said in a statement on Tuesday that Washington would only be prepared to discuss Iran�™s enrichment on a very limited scale.
US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman, who led the US delegation in nuclear talks with Iran in Geneva, also said in a TV interview on Wednesday that Washington �œwould consider a limited, modest enrichment program if it is attached to real practical needs.”
This comes as Article IV of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) gives Iran, as one of its signatories, �œthe inalienable right” to �œdevelop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination.”
According to Article VI of the same treaty, nuclear states should take �œeffective measures” toward �œnuclear disarmament,” but the US has ignored it so far.
Meanwhile, the Tel Aviv regime is a blatant violator of the NPT and is the only possessor of nuclear weapons in the Middle East.
ISH/ISH
Source: Press TV