US will regret if it exits nuclear deal, warns Iran
President Rouhani says officials told what to do if US quits
TEHRAN: Iran has been preparing for months for the possibility that US President Donald Trump will pull out of the nuclear agreement, President Hassan Rouhani said, warning that the US would quickly come to regret such a decision.
Rouhani said government officials received instructions months ago on what to do in the event the US decides to end waivers on key sanctions on May 12, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported. The Iranian president said he’d met with officials from the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran in recent days and discussed a “clear path” ahead.
Trump has expressed contempt for the 2015 nuclear accord that offers Iran sanctions relief in return for halting its nuclear weapons program, signalling that he’s not inclined to extend waivers that allow Iran to export oil to some of its biggest custom- ers. Failing to uphold them will effectively end US participation in the deal. “The US has always sought to sow intrigue against Iran but has never succeeded in the face of Iran’s greatness,” Rouhani said in a speech, addressing crowds at a rally in the northeastern city of Sabzevar. “This time, once again, it is also making a mistake. And if it wants to leave the nuclear deal, it will quickly see that this decision will be a regret of historic proportions.”
European parties to the deal -some of whom, like Germany, have seen a surge in exports to Iran since the deal came into effect in January 2016 -- have tried in recent weeks to persuade Trump not to pull out. Britain’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is also visiting the US on Sunday to try and salvage the pact.