Rouhani Issues Directives to Counter ISA Renewal

President Hassan Rouhani, in separate letters to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and nuclear energy chief Ali Akbar Salehi on Tuesday, issued directives on how to respond to a US Congress bill to renew the Iran Sanctions Act.

The bill, which is expected to gain the US presidential approval and become law, has been slammed by Iranian officials, including the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and Rouhani, as a violation of the 2015 nuclear deal.

They have threatened to provide "proportionate" response to the Congress move.

ISA was first enforced in 1996 and will expire at the end of this month, if not renewed.

Rouhani has charged Salehi, who heads the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, with designing and developing nuclear marine propulsion systems and the fuel to power such systems for use in sea transportation, IRNA reported.

The instructions also require Zarif to exploit the mechanism envisaged in the deal to address any breach committed by the parties to the accord and report to Rouhani monthly.

Zarif has warned the US against reneging on its commitments, noting that it would achieve nothing from sustaining the sanctions regime.

"Even if the US is able to reimpose the sanctions, what would it gain from it? If it were possible to destroy our economy, why did they decide to come to the negotiating table in the first place?" Zarif asked last week.

Salehi has warned the US of a "firm and strong reaction" if it persists in its "irrational and provocative" actions that, he says, are endangering the landmark agreement.