“Today, we are standing by our commitments stronger than ever before. However, anyone seeking to betray their commitments to us should know that the grave consequences of such a move will affect themselves,” the president said.
Rouhani further said, “Those sitting in the White House should know that whether or not they stand by their commitment, civilization and humanity, the great Iranian nation and the government on its behalf will stand decisively against all their conspiracies and plots.”
The Iranian chief executive asserted that the Iranian people and government are fully prepared to confront potential enemy plots. “No one can frustrate this great nation and steal from it the hope for future.”
Amid Trump’s threats, other parties have stepped up diplomatic efforts to save the deal.
The US under President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to pull out of the historical agreement, which was struck between the Islamic Republic and the P5+1 group of countries, including Washington itself.
The deal removed nuclear-related sanctions against Tehran, which, in turn, changed some aspects of its nuclear energy program. All other signatories have warned the US against quitting the deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Trump has said unless the European parties “fix the terrible flaws” of the accord by May 12, Washington would withdraw from the deal. Iran has ruled out any renegotiation.
Separately, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Washington’s withdrawal would only set Iran free of any obligation to stay in the accord. He also stated that the US, under President Donald Trump, has violated almost all of its commitments as part of the 2015 nuclear deal.
“If the United States officially withdraws from the JCPOA, the immediate implication would be that it would free Iran of any obligation to remain in the JCPOA,” Zarif told the National Interest on Monday, using an acronym for the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
He said the Trump administration “has really not been a part of the JCPOA, has violated almost every US commitment under the JCPOA, so we’ve had almost sixteen months of a trial period for official withdrawal."
Zarif said quitting the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) could be an option for Iran in case Trump scraps the accord.
“That’s not, certainly, the government’s position. But we have very active public opinion and we have always been responsive to public opinion. But what I see in the cards as the first stage of our response to US official withdrawal would be to contemplate also withdrawing from the JCPOA,” he said.
The Iranian foreign minister said that the current US administration “does not serve the interests of international peace and security, and if I may say, neither the interests of the United States.”