Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the country is ready to restart its nuclear program if US President Donald Trump decides to reimpose sanctions.
"We have put a number of options for ourselves, and those options are ready, including options that would involve resuming at a much greater speed [for] our nuclear activities,” Zarif told "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennanin in an interview with CBS News. The interview is to be aired Sunday.
Zarif's comments to "Face the Nation" expand those of President Hassan Rouhani, who earlier this month said, "we will not be the first to violate the accord, but they should definitely know that they will regret it if they violate it."
Rouhani said on Saturday Iran’s atomic agency was ready with “expected and unexpected” reactions if the United States pulls out of a multinational nuclear deal.
Zarif worked for two years with former US president Barack Obama administration negotiators to reach an agreement to freeze Iran's nuclear development. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that emerged from those talks outlined a timeline for gradual sanctions relief on Iran, in exchange for certification that the country curb its nuclear program.
Trump, who as a candidate threatened to leave the JCPOA, has insisted he would walk away from the deal by May 12 if tougher restrictions are not imposed on Tehran.
The White House has called for a "follow-on" accord that would penalize Iran for ballistic missile tests, expand nuclear inspectors' access, and lengthen limits on Iranian nuclear activity. But European negotiators working to mediate American demands have reportedly struggled with a lack of specific guidance from the president and fears he may rip up the deal regardless.
Iran has repeatedly said it will not renegotiate the agreement.
Asked how Iran would respond if the president walked away from the deal, Zarif said the country was prepared.
"Those options are ready to be implemented and we will make the necessary decision when we see fit," said Zarif.
"Obviously the rest of the world cannot ask us to unilaterally and one-sidedly implement a deal that has already been broken," he added later.
***JCPOA Imminent Demise Premature
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that even if Trump rejects a possible remedy being worked out by US and European officials and decides to bring back sanctions, the key US sanctions targeting Iran’s oil sales will not immediately resume.
As a result, oil markets and companies may have some time to adjust to the prospect of fresh US sanctions, and diplomats could keep trying to avert them.
There are at least two avenues potentially offering more time for talks after May 12, difficult as that may seem given that Iran has strongly warned against reviving sanctions.
The agreement has a dispute resolution clause that provides at least 35 days to consider a claim that any party has violated its terms. That can be extended if all parties agree.
And if Trump restores the core US sanctions, under US law he must wait at least 180 days before imposing their most draconian consequence: targeting banks of nations that fail to cut significantly their purchases of Iranian oil.
The leaders of France and Germany visit Washington next week in the hopes of persuading Trump to bless an emerging fix being worked out among British, French, German and US diplomats that might preserve the agreement.
***Death by a Thousand Cuts
Odds of the deal collapsing appear to have risen since Trump recently appointed hawkish National Security Adviser John Bolton and nominated Mike Pompeo to become secretary of state.
The end of the pact would raise tensions in the Middle East. It could also make it harder for Trump to get North Korea to curb its nuclear program, given that Pyongyang might conclude Washington cannot be trusted to keep its word.
Pompeo, currently CIA director, and US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have hinted at the possibility of continuing talks, either about a fix or about a whole new deal.
“Classic Trump--lots of sound and fury, with the door still cracked open,” said a former US official, citing fears this “would only prolong the death by a thousand cuts that is the (deal’s) likely fate.”
