In a speech from this Tuesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that his country will remain in the nuclear deal devised by the Obama administration despite President Trump’s decision to withdraw.
After Trump’s announcement of U.S. withdrawal, slammed the decision, saying that the U.S. “never adhered to its commitments.”
“We can clearly see which country is not respecting the international commitments,” Rouhani said during a televised speech in Tehran.
“Iran is a country that adheres to its commitments. And the U.S. is a country that has never adhered to its commitments,” Rouhani said.
“Our history in the past 40 years, and even prior to that, told us and has indicated that the Americans, speaking of their approach toward the people of the region and the people of Iran, have always adopted a hostile approach.”
“If in the short-term, we conclude that we can achieve what we want” from the nuclear deal, the agreement will survive, Rouhani said in a televised address.
“I have asked [Iran’s] Atomic Energy Organization to prepare the necessary orders to start unlimited enrichment,” which was significantly curtailed thanks to the deal.
According to Iranian state TV, Trump’s withdrawal was “illegal, illegitimate and undermines international agreements.”
From The Washington Post:
The decision could trigger renewed U.S. sanctions on Iran’s oil sales and Central Bank, potentially disrupting Iran’s global financial transactions and putting further pressure on its already volatile economy. It also could put European allies in a bind over whether to continue the economic dealmaking they launched with Iran since the accord was implemented in early 2016. The allies have stood firmly behind the accord, which was negotiated between Iran and six world powers: the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.
The allies could also suffer penalties under renewed U.S. sanctions, removing incentives to continue to invest in Iran.
Rouhani also warned that if the deal were to fall apart as a result of America’s exit, Iran is prepared to increase uranium enrichment to industrial levels. But according to Trump, the “horrible one-sided deal” didn’t bring peace, “and it never will.”
Trump’s move flies in the face of U.S. allies in Europe that wanted the deal to stay intact. It’s still not known if the remaining nations in the deal will be able to hold it together.
Featured image via screen grab/YouTube
