Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has condemned US President Donald Trump over his threats to walk away from a landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and the six world powers signed in 2015, adding any breaches by the US may result in Iran's partial or complete withdrawal from the agreement.
The lead negotiator for the Iranian side told Al Jazeera that the US leader's remarks would not "help peace and security in the region" and would harm the long-term interests of the United States. Trump has repeatedly described the nuclear agreement, which was negotiated by the Obama administration and enshrined under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, as "the worst deal ever".
"I think it is an ill-informed statement, because certainly, any deal would not be a perfect deal for all sides; it has to be less than perfect so all sides can live with it," Zarif said, warning that the international community could never trust the US again if it violated the deal.
Zarif said any breaches of the deal by the US would result in Iran's partial or complete withdrawal from the agreement, noting that Tehran would be undeterred by threats of sanctions.
"The nuclear deal is the result of 10 years of posturing and two years of negotiations. Unfortunately, this administration is going back to posturing," he said.
"They [US leaders] have immunized us to US sanctions. From a global perspective, it would seem the United States is addicted to sanctions."
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