Trump failed to destroy Iran nuclear deal: Rouhani

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani says the administration of US President Donald Trump has failed in its attempts to kill the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal, describing this as a “victory” for the Iranian nation and the rule of law.

Trump has left no stone unturned over the past year to destroy the agreement, but to no avail, said Rouhani on Sunday, adding, “This means a victory for international commitments and law against dictatorship.”

Rouhani further noted that Americans failed “to step on the world’s public opinion with dictatorship and arrogance, and this is a blow to the US and a success for Iran.”

The Iranian chief executive said the White House had been “unsuccessful” in undermining the international accord, and standing against the Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the nuclear agreement, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“We proved that a tight knot could be undone at the negotiating table... that Iran is speaking the truth while the enemies are telling lies, and that we are not seeking to develop nuclear weapons,” he added.

The US president on Friday extended waivers of key economic sanctions on Iran, which were lifted under the JCPOA, for another 120 days but said he was doing so “for the last time.”

Trump called on European allies and Congress to work with him to “fix the disastrous flaws” in the nuclear agreement or face a US exit. 

The US president also said he wanted Congress to pass a bill that states Iran’s long-range missile and nuclear programs are inseparable, and that the country’s development and testing of missiles should be subject to severe sanctions.

Additionally, on Friday, Trump ordered the imposition of new sanctions on 14 Iranian and no-Iranian individuals and entities over alleged rights abuses, censorship, and support for weapons proliferators.

Speaking on Sunday, Iran’s Parliament speaker Ali Larijani ruled out any changes to the JCPOA, denouncing Trump’s “abnormal behavior” and Washington's "excessive demands."

“The Iranian parliament will in no way accept changes to the structure of the nuclear agreement, and the amendments the US president mentioned in his latest remarks amount to the destruction of the whole deal," he said.

Prior to the White House’s announcement, the European Union along with three European signatories to the deal, including France, Britain and Germany, once again reaffirmed their strong determination to preserve Iran’s nuclear agreement, warning the US against any attempts to weaken the JCPOA, which widely viewed as a victory for international diplomacy and teamwork.

EA