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Iran threatens to restart nuclear program

Ignoring Iran’s own belligerence, President Hassan Rouhani threatened to restore the hostile elements of the country’s nuclear program if the Western signatories to last year’s agreement do not uphold their end of the deal.

Iran’s president said the Islamic Republic could restore elements of its nuclear program that were halted under its controversial deal if world powers that backed the agreement don’t live up to their end of the bargain.

President Hassan Rouhani made the veiled threat, televised on state TV on Wednesday, a day ahead of the one-year anniversary of the deal between Tehran and the United States and other world powers.

Rouhani’s threat comes just days after a German intelligence report revealed that Iran aggressively pursued biological and chemical weapons technology even as it negotiated the international deal to temporarily drop its nuclear program.

The agreement called for caps on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

Rouhani hailed the nuclear deal as widely beneficial, saying it promotes peace and stability and that violating it “will harm everyone.”

But he also assured Iranians that Iran is “completely ready” and able to restore its nuclear program quickly if other parties violate the deal.

By: AP