All options on the table for Iran in face of possible US withdrawal from the nuclear deal

Almost three weeks before the US president’s deadline to decide on the future of America’s commitment to the Iran nuclear deal, Iranian officials are clarifying their position regarding this issue. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has joined the other officials to declare Iran’s readiness in face of any scenario.

کد خبر: ۷۹۲۱۶۲

تاریخ: ۰۱ ارديبهشت ۱۳۹۷ - ۱۴:۰۰

Tabnak – Almost three weeks before the US president’s deadline to decide on the future of America’s commitment to the Iran nuclear deal, Iranian officials are clarifying their position regarding this issue. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has joined the other officials to declare Iran’s readiness in face of any scenario.

President Hassan Rouhani says the Iranian government stands fully prepared for any US scenario on the 2015 nuclear deal, and that Washington’s possible withdrawal from the pact would immediately be met with a proper response.

Commenting on US President Donald Trump’s threats to scrap the nuclear agreement, Rouhani said Saturday that Iran has planned all the necessary measures to be taken in response to any decision by Washington on the deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“For months, we have been thinking about it, have made plans for all scenarios and face no problem in that regard,” Rouhani said. “We have clear strategies for all the things that the enemies expect or even do not expect, and will implement them swiftly,” he said.

Rouhani further criticized Trump’s behavior and foreign policy, which have created uncertainty even among his own administration’s officials, saying the White House itself, the US National Security Council, Congress and American people have no idea what will happen.

In the same vein, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has warned that Tehran is ready to restart its peaceful nuclear program if Washington pulls out of the Iran nuclear deal.

"We have put a number of options for ourselves, and those options are ready," Zarif told the CBS News on Friday. Asked how Iran would respond if US President Donald Trump walked away from the deal, Zarif said the country was prepared.

"Those options are ready to be implemented and we will make the necessary decision when we see fit," said Zarif. "Obviously the rest of the world cannot ask us to unilaterally and one-sidedly implement a deal that has already been broken," he added later.

Separately on Friday, the Iranian foreign minister warned that the US will “regret” leaving the nuclear pact as the reaction from the Islamic Republic and the international community will be “unpleasant” for the Americans.

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the US, France, Britain, Russia and China – plus Germany signed the nuclear agreement in July 2015 and started implementing it in January 2016.

The deal, which is officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is an international document endorsed by the Security Council Resolution 2231.

Trump, who took office one year after the accord came into force, has been a vociferous critic of it. He has called the agreement the “worst deal ever” and even threatened to tear it up.