Fate of JCPOA will be decided tonight: Iran Foreign Ministry Spokesman

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman says a very important session will be held tonight in light of the martyrdom of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and Deputy Commander of the Popular Mobilization Units in Iraq, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, by US terrorists, in which the fate of Iran's nuclear deal with six countries, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), will be decided.

“Decisions had already been made about taking the fifth step [in reducing nuclear commitments] but given the current circumstances, an important meeting is scheduled to be convened about the fifth step tonight, which bears upon the affirmed decisions,” Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said in a press conference in Tehran on Sunday.

Underlining that the entire threats are interrelated in the field of politics, the Iranian diplomat said, “What I assume is going to unfold tonight determines what the Islamic Republic will do in light of the JCPOA implementation and the forthcoming step.”

EU invites Iranian foreign minister to Brussels

In a press release on Sunday, the European Union (EU) said the bloc had invited Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to Brussels, calling for a "de-escalation of tensions."

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said a regional political solution was the "only way forward,” and stressed "the importance of preserving" the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Pointing to the EU invitation, Mousavi said, “Deliberations were underway for Zarif’s trip to Brussels but nothing was finalized.”

US should stop bombastic rhetoric, threats

Trump has threatened to target 52 sites, some "at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture" if Tehran avenged the assassination.

Pointing to Trump’s threat to target 52 Iranian historical and cultural sites, Mousavi said during the presser on Sunday, “Iran’s stance has been made clear in a tweet by Mr. Zarif. I highly regret that that we live in a world that the president of a so-called world power has adopted such a position and has advisors that have no clue about the Book of Law, and mock the axioms of international law. We will respond to threats with threats and our hands are not tied up in the face of menaces.”

The Iranian diplomat said, “We advise the Americans to abstain from such rhetoric and threats.”

In his tweet on Saturday, Trump said the targets represented 52 Americans who were held in Iran for acts of espionage following the 1979 takeover of the US embassy in Tehran by revolutionary students.

Zarif took to Twitter Sunday to denounce Trump's "new breaches of JUS COGENS," referring to binding norms of international law.

"Targeting cultural sites is a WAR CRIME; -Whether kicking or screaming, end of US malign presence in West Asia has begun," he said.

SS