International
NUCLEAR DEAL: Iran kicks, warns US of “grave” consequences
Hassan Rouhani, the president of Iran has kicked against moves by French President Emmanuel Macron, alongside his US counterpart Donald Trump, regarding a potential “new nuclear deal”.
Rouhani has accused the United States and France of acting unilaterally in announcing potential plans to reshape the landmark nuclear deal signed between Iran and world powers in 2015.
The Iranian leader questioned the move while speaking on Wednesday in Iran’s northwestern city of Tabriz.
“You [Trump], along with the leader of some European country, are deciding for an agreement reached among seven parties. Who allowed you to do that?” Rouhani said, according to Iran’s Press TV news website.
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“I have spoken with Macron several times by phone, and one time in person at length. I have told him explicitly that we will not add anything to the deal or remove anything from it, even one sentence. The nuclear deal is the nuclear deal.”
Referring to the US president – a property tycoon who assumed office in January last year – as someone without “any background in politics … law … [and] international treaties”, Rouhani said: “Donald Trump says this deal is a very bad deal. Well, if it’s a very bad deal, then why did the US government sign it?
He added: “How can a tradesman, a merchant, a building constructor, a tower constructor make judgements about international affairs.’
Rouhani’s comments are coming after his country warned North Korea against its planned summit with Trump over its readiness to halt its nuclear proliferation program.
According to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, a U.S. push to change the Iran nuclear deal was sending a “very dangerous message” that countries should never negotiate with Washington.
Speaking to reporters in New York, Mohammad Javad Zarif also said that for Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel “to try to appease the president (Donald Trump) would be an exercise in futility.”
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