Rouhani: US lost by abandoning nuke deal, wants regime change
TEHRAN: Iran’s president boasted yesterday that the United States has lost against the Islamic republic’s “righteousness and wisdom” by walking out of the landmark nuclear deal. “Everyone knows that America has lost legally and politically by giving up on its international obligations and that we have achieved victory,” said President Hassan Rouhani in a speech at the University of Tehran to mark the beginning of the school year. “There are but a few countries in the world that would call the US withdrawal from the JCPOA (nuclear deal) a good move,” he added. “Those that are cautious express disappointment, those that are more frank say it was a mistake, and the outspoken say it was illegal.”
Washington pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers in May and is reimposing punishing sanctions on the country, hoping to pressure Tehran into what President Donald Trump calls a “better deal”. The US is due to complete the reimposition of sanctions on Nov 5, targeting Iran’s oil sector and central bank. Rouhani said nothing would change on Nov 5 since “America has already done whatever it can”.
The other parties to the nuclear agreement - Russia, China, the UK, France and Germany - have all pledged to continue to try to make the deal work, despite their firms being vulnerable to the US sanctions if they keep doing business with Iran. Rouhani said Iran’s response had left Washington “empty-handed”. “They expected us to leave the JCPOA hours after they announced they are, and what would have happened? The case would have returned to the UN Security Council, turned against Iran and isolated us,” he said. He said Iran had lost nothing by staying in the deal and could leave “whenever” it chooses.
Rouhani also said the US is seeking “regime change” in Iran, adding that the current US administration is the most hostile that the Islamic Republic has faced in its four decades. “In the past 40 years there has not been a more spiteful team than the current US government team toward Iran, Iranians and the Islamic Republic,” Rouhani said in the speech broadcast on state TV. “There was a time when there was one person who had enmity. The rest were moderate. Now...the worst have gathered around each other,” he added.
Rouhani accused the Americans of using psychological and economic warfare and questioning the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic. “Reducing the legitimacy of the system is their final goal. When they say getting rid of, regime change in their own words, how does regime change happen? Through reducing legitimacy, otherwise a regime doesn’t change,” He used the English phrase “regime change” to emphasize his point.
Vice-president Eshaq Jahangiri played down the impact of the planned restrictions. Iran has been able to find new partners to buy its oil even though some countries have stopped purchases, Jahangiri said yesterday, according to Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). “America will certainly not be able to reduce Iran’s oil exports to zero,” he said. “America thinks Saudi Arabia can replace this oil. But right now Iran’s oil has reached more than $80 and with half the previous exports we will have the same income as before,” he added on comments on the IRIB website. — Agencies