Iran’s president: US will ‘regret’ collapse of nuclear deal

The West, and specifically the US, “should definitely know that they will regret it if they violate it,” Rouhani said of the nuclear deal. 

By: World Israel News Staff

Iran’s president lashed out at the US, saying it would come to “regret” the day the 2015 nuclear deal collapsed.

Marking Iran’s National Nuclear Day, dedicated to the country’s achievements in nuclear technology, President Hassan Rouhani on Monday stated that despite its attempts, the US has “failed to destroy” the 2015 deal between Iran and world powers.

Rouhani reaffirmed his commitment to the deal and said Iran would not be the first to violate it.

“We will not be the first to violate the accord, but they should definitely know that they will regret it if they violate it,” Rouhani stated in Tehran, according to AFP.

“We are much more prepared than they think, and they will see that if they violate this accord, within a week, less than a week, they will see the result,” he threatened.

US President Donald Trump Trump has said he will not renew US waivers for sanctions on Iran when they next expire on May 12 unless European countries agree to strengthen the deal signficantly in order to prevent advanced nuclear tests. The president is also seeking tougher inspections and penalties for Iranian missile testing.

One of the main issues that critics of the deal are eager to address is the removal of several clauses that allow Iran to gradually resume weapons-grade nuclear development starting in 2024. Iran’s development of long-range missiles that can carry nuclear warheads is also a point of concern.

Rouhani also unveiled 83 new nuclear achievements, including a centrifuge used in the oil industry and a laser spectrometer.

The Iranian president was accompanied by his deputy, Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), who blasted the US for its “defiance to implement the 2015 nuclear deal,” warning that Iran “will take necessary reciprocal measures and will defend its interests if Washington continues non-compliance with the internationally-accepted agreement.”

On Sunday, Salehi told reporters in Tehran that “if senior Islamic Republic officials issue an order to resume the 20 percent enrichment, we can do it in Fordo within four days.” He said his statement should be “seen as a warning by the other side against discarding the nuclear deal,” stressing that Iran could progress with its nuclear aspirations beyond the previous levels.

Israel continues to view Iran as an existential threat, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly called on Trump and the other signatory states to “fix or nix ” the agreement.