The ambassador to Britain said the vast international support behind the 2015 nuclear deal makes it too costly for the US administration to dismantle.
"The JCPOA rests on such a solid foundation that it cannot be unraveled or undermined by the US," Hamid Baeidinejad, a former nuclear negotiator, said during a panel discussion in the British Parliament on Tuesday, using the formal title of the accord, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
The panel was also attended by British Minister of State for the Middle East Alistair Burt and former foreign secretary, Jack Straw, among others, IRNA reported.
Tehran negotiated the deal with the United States and the other five permanent members of the UN Security Council, including Britain, to receive sanctions relief in return for time-bound restrictions on its nuclear program.
But with US President Donald Trump taking office in January this year, the US approach to the action plan took a hostile turn.
Trump has repeatedly slammed the historic agreement for being too lenient on Iran, claiming that the curbs set out in the pact should have also addressed Iran's missile development activity and its regional influence.
In a controversial, rhetoric-laden statement from the White House earlier this month, he said he no longer certifies Tehran's compliance with the deal terms, despite the repeated reports of the UN nuclear agency that have all confirmed Tehran's full commitment.
With that announcement, the fate of the action plan now rests with the US Congress that must decide by mid-December whether to reimpose anti-Iran sanctions.
***Wrong Argument
Baeidinejad noted that the negotiations leading to the nuclear deal were never meant to cover matters beyond the nuclear issue and all the participants agreed to limit the scope of talks to resolving the decade-long nuclear dispute.
"The Trump administration, disregarding the contents of the negotiations, reasserts its wrong argument that the action plan was expected to stop the development of Iran's missile capabilities and rein in its regional influence. This is not true and these issues were not part of what [parties] agreed under the JCPOA," he said.
The diplomat called on the US administration officials to wake up to the realities on the ground.
"It has always been the main problem with the United States that the country's authorities have never wanted to accept the realities. They have refused to recognize the Islamic Revolution, Iran's government and its people's demands and unfortunately this mentality still prevails in the White House."
Trump's antagonism toward the UN-endorsed pact has drawn the condemnation of other signatories, including the European allies of the US, and former US officials and even some of those within the Trump's administration.
Other participants in the discussion highlighted the need to keep the deal in place.
"We are satisfied with the reports of the International Atomic Energy Agency regarding its monitoring of Iran's commitment to the JCPOA and in Britain's view, the action plan is alive and credible," Alistair said.
