Iran: US will face ‘harsh response’ if it withdraws from nuclear deal

Iran warned the US of a “harsh response” if it withdraws from the 2015 nuclear deal.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

Iran warned the US of the consequences of any unilateral retreat the 2015 nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers.

“All options are on the Islamic Republic’s table for any conditions and they will be implemented the same day and quickly proportional to the type of decisions made in the US,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told reporters in his weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday, Iran’s Fars News reported.

He stressed the need for Washington to remain committed to its commitments based on the nuclear deal, saying that “certainly, the United States’ possible withdrawal or any irrational behavior towards it [the deal] will meet Iran’s proper and heavy behavior and if they make a blatant mistake in this regard, it will certainly lead to the US administration’s regret.”

President Donald Trump faces several deadlines this week regarding the future of the nuclear deal that will determine whether the US remains party to nuclear deal.

On Friday, Trump must decide whether to sign a series of waivers on the implementation of nuclear sanctions lifted by the US under the nuclear accord. Failure to sign those waivers, renewed every 120 days, would automatically reimpose sanctions on Iran and those conducting business with it overseas, effectively withdrawing Washington from the deal.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned in September that his country may quit the 2015 nuclear deal if the US leaves the agreement.

“If Washington decides to pull out of the deal, Iran has the option of withdrawal and other options,” Zarif said.

Zarif is due to travel for talks with the European parties to the deal, Britain, France, Germany and the European Union, at the end of the week.

The US alone cannot actually terminate the accord, which lifted sanctions that had choked Iran’s economy in exchange for Tehran rolling back its nuclear program. By withdrawing, the US would render the deal virtually meaningless.

Trump has called the deal the worst agreement ever negotiated by the United States.

In October, Trump decided not to re-certify the Iran nuclear deal, while announcing his new strategy to counter Iran, including addressing Iran’s proliferation of weapons and missiles, denying all paths to a nuclear weapon and imposing tough sanctions on the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, “the Iranian Supreme leader’s corrupt personal terror force and militia,” as Trump called it.