Rouhani tells Merkel: Adding anything to nuclear deal ‘impossible’

President Hassan Rouhani says it would be “impossible” to modify the country's landmark nuclear agreement, emphasizing that the only way to save the deal is to lift the United States’ “inhumane sanctions” on Iran.

According to Press TV, Rouhani made the remarks in a phone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday.

The president categorically dismissed the possibility of injecting new items into the already negotiated nuclear deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was struck on July 14, 2015 between Iran and six world powers – the US, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China.

“The JCPOA, as a document approved by the UN Security Council and a product of sustained efforts by Iran and six major countries in the world, has a clear framework and cannot be changed,” Rouhani told Merkel, according to the president’s office.

Rouhani said his administration is committed to further reducing the country’s obligations under the JCPOA, unless the sanctions are lifted, in which case “we will also completely implement our obligations within the framework of the JCPOA.”

For her part, Merkel said, “It is now time for positive signals that create trust and increase the chances of a diplomatic solution.”

SS