In their statement released on Saturday, the former diplomats reminded of Biden’s election pledges to return to the Iran nuclear deal (officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – the JCPOA).

They referred to the US violation of its commitments and Europe’s inaction with regard to their obligations under the JCPOA over the past three years, existence of some individuals in Iran with different political tastes who are vocal critics of the JCPOA, commitment of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to its international obligations and compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA, and said, “If the new US administration is willing to take confidence-building and positive steps with regards to the Islamic Republic of Iran, it should know that the trend of returning to the JCPOA begins at the same point where the Trump administration withdrew from it and breached the United States’ international obligations under the JCPOA.”

“As the Supreme Leader [of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei] has announced loud and clear, If they return to their commitments, we will, too,” the former diplomats said.

They noted that the United States itself was one of the signatories to the JCPOA and the nuclear deal agreement has been emphasized and highlighted by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, and the JCPOA is, in fact, and integral part of Resolution 2231, under Article 25 of the UN Charter, adding, “The US is obliged to fully live up to the commitments inserted in the JCPOA. However, the previous US administration not only blatantly violated this international obligation, but encouraged other countries to breach their commitments under the agreement.” “Nevertheless, despite the United States’ heavy pressure, no other country followed the US government’s lead regarding the violation of obligations stipulated in UN Security Council Resolution 2231. It is noteworthy that the Islamic Republic of Iran has remained committed to its obligations under the JCPOA all along,” the ex-diplomats said.

“The administration of Mr. Biden is well aware that the reinstatement of sanctions by the previous US government in violation of its JCPOA commitments amounts to the enforcement of sanctions against Iranian people and depriving them of their inalienable rights. Accordingly, former US President Donald Trump should be tried and punished for the commission of numerous crimes against humanity, extensive and systematic violation of fundamental human rights, imposition of cruel sanctions, namely with regards to drugs and food, against Iranian people, as well as the promotion of, and support for state terrorism, including his straightforward confession that he ordered the assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani,” the statement said.

The former diplomats underlined that it is clear that the Islamic Republic of Iran, at this juncture, being much more powerful than it was in 2016 in defense and modern technologies sectors, will not submit to issues which are unrelated to the JCPOA, and will not allow any party to open a new chapter in talks, and said, “Therefore, we expect the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to deal with the issue of negotiations within the framework of the JCPOA patiently and prudently while observing the three principles of dignity, wisdom and expediency.”

“During the process where the US should stop violating and return to its obligations, the Islamic Republic of Iran should insist on its rightful stances, and return to its commitments under the JCPOA proportionately and reciprocally in a confidence-building process after making sure that sanctions are lifted. If cruel sanctions against resistant Iranian people remain in place, the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran should press ahead with its scientific and defense progress and keep promoting its peaceful nuclear program as far as national interests require.”

They described the JCPOA as an agreement which includes multilateral commitments, and said, “So, should one or more state signatories to the deal refuse to make good on their obligations, the other side reserves the right to scale down its commitments based on the provisions of the JCPOA.”

What follows is a list of 43 former deputy foreign ministers and ambassadors who have signed this statement:

Ebrahim Rahimpour, former deputy foreign minister for Asia-Pacific affairs

Behrouz Kamalvandi, former deputy foreign minister for financial and administrative affairs and incumbent spokesman for Atomic Energy Organization of Iran

Seyyed Baqer Sakhaei, former deputy foreign minister for financial and administrative affairs

Hamid Assefi, former deputy foreign minister for Europe and Americas affairs

Ali Ahani, former deputy foreign minister for Europe and Americas affairs

Seyyed Hossein Adeli, former deputy foreign minister for economic affairs

Alireza Moayyeri, former deputy foreign minister for research and education

Abbas Maleki, former deputy foreign minister for research and education

Mohammad Javad Asayesh, former ambassador to Oman and Qatar

Abolqassem Delfi, former ambassador to France

Ahmad Sobhani, former ambassador to Venezuela

Ahmad Dastmalchian, former ambassador to Lebanon and Jordan

Abdollah Norouzi, former ambassador to Sweden

Mohammad Moussa Hashemi Golpayegani, former ambassador to Turkmenistan

Mohammad Taher Rabbani, former ambassador to Vatican

Ali Akbar Farazi, former ambassador to Hungary

Mohammad Hassan Fadaeifard, former ambassador to Spain

Mohammad Taheri, former ambassador to Azerbaijan Republic

Mahmoud Mohammadi, former ambassador to Tunisia

Seyyed Ali Nematollahi, former ambassador to Switzerland

Seyyed Mahdi Navvab, former ambassador to Germany

Seyyed Ali Saqaeian, former ambassador to Armenia and Brazil

Mostafa A’laei, former ambassador to Venezuela

Mohammad Raisi, former ambassador to Armenia

Jahanbakhsh Mozaffari, former ambassador to Italy

Seyyed Hossein Mousavian, former ambassador to Germany

Mohammad Ali Qane’zadeh, former ambassador to Brazil and South Africa

Seyyed Hossein Rezvani, former ambassador to Norway

Seyyed Reza Tabatabaei Shafiei, former ambassador to Bolivia

Seyyed Mahmoud Sadri, former ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Amir Ali Shahidi, former ambassador to Mauritania

Javad Ansari, former ambassador to Brunei and Singapore

Mansour Moazzami, former ambassador to Brazil

Mohammad Javad Sadeq, former ambassador to Croatia

Abdolhamid Fekri, former ambassador to Brunei

Ahmad Edrisian, former ambassador to Cuba

Seyyed Davoud Salehi, former ambassador to Cuba and Spain

Abolfazl Rahnama, former ambassador to Portugal

Seyyed Ja’far Hashemi, former ambassador to Brazil

Sabah Zangeneh, former ambassador to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)

Hassan Taherian, former ambassador to South Korea

Mohammad Zaeri Amirani, former ambassador to Sri Lanka

Mohsen Sharif Khodaei, former ambassador to Croatia