The United Nations has presented its first report on the so-called “Iran Deal,” formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).  The UN states that the Iranian regime is in violation of at least the spirit of the deal, especially in its development and testing of ballistic missiles.  The United States Congress began to discuss whether new sanctions would be appropriate given the report.  The Iranian parliament has responded with a promise to violate more of the letter, too.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani told Iran’s Press TV that he “utterly regretted” the United Nations’ choice to be critical of Iran in the report.  He also pointed out Iran’s long-standing position that the only thing that binds Iran is the JCPOA itself, and not the subsequent United Nations Security Council resolution 2231 that proposed to enforce the deal.  The JCPOA contains no enforcement mechanisms, leaving Iran’s compliance totally voluntary.

Since he feels that Iran has been treated with disrespect by the report, the speaker gave orders to prepare to resume enrichment of uranium.

The Iranian parliament speaker asked the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) on Wednesday to prepare a plan for the re-opening of shuttered uranium enrichment facilities, reacting to the recent UN report on the implementation of the JCPOA.

“It is necessary for the Atomic Energy Organization (of Iran) to act in compliance with the law passed on the reopening of the nuclear plant to enrich uranium proportionate to the country’s needs and prepare a plan and keeps the Majlis (parliament) posted on it,” Ali Larijani said.

In June 2015, the Iranian parliament passed a legislation which obliged the government to preserve the country’s nuclear achievements if the country faced new sanctions.

The Iranian reaction is surprisingly strong given that the US administration has backed them against its own Congress.  US Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, went to bat for Iran in front of the Security Council.  “The United States disagrees strongly with elements of this report, including that its content goes beyond the appropriate scope. We understand that Iran also disagrees strongly with parts of the report,” she said Monday.

Ironically, the next day the US Department of State blacklisted several al Qaeda leaders being sheltered by Iran.

The American Congress has been much more skeptical of the deal than the Obama administration, citing facts such as Iran’s continued state support of terrorism, and its development of ballistic missiles.  Congress is also more concerned than the Obama administration with Iran’s terrible abuses of human rights.  A number of top leaders, including Democrats such as Chuck Schumer of New York, attended a major rally in Paris aimed at the eventual freedom of the Iranian people.  Schumer said that a free Iran would be “a beacon of strength not only in the Middle East and Central Asia, but to the whole world.”  Former Senator Robert Torricelli was also in attendance at this rally, as were Senators Robert Menendez and John Boozman, and members of the House of Representatives including Tom McClintock.