Emboldened after a successful re-election campaign, Iranian President Hasan Rouhani is threatening to quit the controversial nuclear deal if the United States goes ahead and imposes new sanctions on Tehran.
In a televised speech delivered to the Iranian parliament, Rouhani said Tuesday: “Iran could quit the nuclear deal within hours if the U.S. imposes more sanctions.”
He continued:
Iran has remained and will remain committed to the deal, though any breach of promise by other parties will receive appropriate responses. …
The actions of the U.S. regarding the implementation [of the nuclear deal] show that the U.S. can’t be trusted. The world should know that any abrogation pertaining to the agreement would face the unanimous reaction of the nation and the government of Iran.
Rouhani added that Iran has complied with the terms of the deal, despite America’s failure to abide by its commitments to international cooperation.
Citing both the Trump administration’s decision to pull out of the Paris Climate Change agreement and its push to impose new sanctions on Cuba, Iran’s president chided the United States for its supposed promotion of instability worldwide.
Rouhani’s threats come one month after Congress passed a comprehensive sanctions bill targeting Russia, Iran, and North Korea. While the Treasury Department has yet to fully implement the new sanctions, the Iranian parliament has already responded to America’s diplomatic stance by passing a bill Sunday to “counter U.S. terrorist measures in the region.”