Rouhani says Tehran not to allow Donald Trump to undermine nuke deal

By Azernews

By Gunay Hasanova

The Iranian administration and people will not permit the U.S. president-elect, Donald Trump to undermine the nuclear deal signed between Tehran and the six world powers, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said.

Rouhani made the remarks during a ceremony marking National Student Day at Tehran University on December 6, Iran’s state-run IRINN TV reported.

“We and our nation will not let Trump rip up the JCPOA (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action aka nuclear deal),” Rouhani said.

The US lawmakers have recently re-authorized the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA), which was first introduced in 1996 to punish investments in Iran's energy industry based on accusations that Tehran was pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.

While Barack Obama is expected to approve the legislation on the renewal of sanctions against Iran for the next 10 years, Tehran has sharply criticized the motion describing it as a breach of the last year’s landmark nuclear deal.

The Iranian government described the Senate vote as a “violation” of the nuclear agreement, and the developments angered Iranian President Rouhani, who has become the face of the deal and Iran’s outreach to the West and his administration.

Rouhani further said that the ISA is violating the JCPOA and if comes into force Iran will sharply respond to that.

“Iran will react to the ISA even if the U.S. president waves the bill after signing it,” he added.

Rouhani mentioned that the issue will be discussed on December 7 and Iran will determine its appropriate reaction regarding the issue.

The Iranian president also said that no step was taken by Iran’s administration during the nuclear talks without the approval of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, emphasizing that the decisions regarding the nuclear talks were made after hours of meetings with Khamenei.

Previously, Rouhani has demanded President Barack Obama to allow sanctions on Tehran to expire before he leaves office in January. 

Rouhani added that Obama is "obliged" to let the sanctions expire and not sign the bill extending the blockade.

The JCPOA is an international document endorsed by the Security Council of the United Nations and Iran believes that the proper implementation of the nuclear deal would be a considerable achievement for the international community and the participants of the deal.