Iran says no to nuclear deal renegotiation
Iran’s foreign minister took to YouTube on Thursday to criticize U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to withdraw from the nuclear deal, saying Iran will not “renegotiate or add onto” the atomic accord.
Mohammad Javad Zarif’s video appeared to be taking his message to the masses after earlier speaking to U.S. news outlets to defend the deal. It comes as Trump signalled he will withdraw from the agreement by May 12 if it is not renegotiated and changed. Those changes have included proposals to limit Iran’s ballistic missile program, which Tehran says it has as a defensive deterrent.
“On 11 occasions since, the UN nuclear watchdog has confirmed that Iran has implemented all of its obligations,” Zarif, who studied in the U.S., says in English. “In contrast, the U.S. has consistently violated the agreement, especially by bullying others from doing business with Iran.
“Let me make it absolutely clear once and for all: We will neither outsource our security nor will we renegotiate or add onto a deal we have already implemented in good faith.”
The 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers saw Tehran limit its enrichment of uranium and number of spinning centrifuges, as well as hand over its stockpile of uranium and reconfigure a heavywater reactor so it couldn’t produce plutonium. In exchange, Iran regained access to the global banking system and could sell its oil again on the world market.