All of US President Donald Trump’s efforts to undermine the nuclear deal have so far failed, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has stressed.
Rouhani made remarks in a televised speech on Monday.
“Every day (Trump) says this deal is the worst in the US’ history. As he put it, it is shameful for America, but still he has not been able to do anything with this agreement," the president said.
The Iranian president also stressed that his country’s arms are meant as a threat deterrent, while noting that no country is permitted to speak out against Iran’s military power.
“Iran’s weapons are like those of the rest of the countries of the world,” he said, adding that the US is not allowed to speak out against Iran’s defense capabilities.
On October 13, Trump refused to formally certify that Iran was complying with the 2015 nuclear deal and warned that he might ultimately terminate the agreement.
While Trump did not pull Washington out of the nuclear deal, he gave the US Congress 60 days to decide whether to reimpose economic sanctions against Tehran that were lifted under the pact. Reimposing sanctions would put the US at odds with other signatories to the accord and the European Union.
Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China – plus Germany signed the the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.
Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limitations on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.