Iran will never accept the excessive conditions demanded by hawkish US President Donald Trump on the 2015 nuclear deal, a lawmaker said.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran does not recognize Trump's conditions. It will not accept these conditions and will not negotiate with the other side about them," Hossein Naqavi Hosseini said.
He was speaking with ICANA on Sunday, days after a senior official with the US administration told the Washington Post that Trump has toughened the conditions he is demanding for renewing the US commitment to the deal.
Formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, It was announced between Iran and the six world powers in July 2015 to scale down Tehran's nuclear development in exchange for giving it relief from international sanctions.
Trump has railed against the landmark accord, seen as the signature achievement of his predecessor Barack Obama.
He had previously demanded not only that non-nuclear issues be addressed but also that the deal itself be altered to eliminate sunset clauses for some of the restrictions it places on Iran, to harden the inspection rules, and to limit development of ballistic missiles. But the unnamed administration official, who was involved in drawing up Trump's Iran policy, said there are additional conditions.
"The president laid out six major areas where he wanted the Europeans to work with the United States to put together a united front on demanding that the Iranians alter their behavior," he said, also including alleged human rights violations, cyber threats, and the financial activities of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.
Trump has threatened to withdraw from the pact if those conditions are not met.
Outside JCPOA Scope
Naqavi Hosseini reiterated Iran's position that the fate of the UN-endorsed deal cannot be tied to Trump's excessive demands.
"His new conditions regarding the alleged threat from the IRGC's financial activities, cyber threats and human rights violations, are not among the issues covered by the JCPOA."
Trump cast a shadow over the fate of the multiparty pact last month by setting a four-month ultimatum for Washington's European partners and the US Congress to address what he says are "disastrous flaws" in the Iran deal.
Otherwise, the Republican hawk threatened, he would not extend waivers of sanctions against Iran, a move that could deal a potentially fatal blow to the broadly supported agreement.
