Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday that demands by US President Donald Trump to change Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers were unacceptable.
Zarif made the remarks on Saturday in Moscow, where he attended trilateral talks on the conflict in Syria alongside Russia and Turkey, Reuters reported.
Trump has said unless European allies fix the "terrible flaws" in the Iran nuclear deal by May 12, he will refuse to extend US sanctions relief for Iran–a move that probably kills the deal.
In recent days, the minister has repeatedly warned against the consequences if Trump attempts to leave the historic 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Speaking to reporters in New York last week, Zarif said the United States has failed to implement its side of the nuclear pact between Iran and six major powers.
"We will make a decision based on our national security interests when the time comes," he said. "But whatever that decision will be, it won't be very pleasant to the United States," he said.
Under the accord, Tehran agreed to limit its nuclear program in return for relief from US and other economic sanctions. The deal, struck by Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United States and Iran, is officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
French Lobbying
On Sunday, Reuters quoted French diplomats as saying that French President Emmanuel Macron, in his recent visit to the US, had tried to preserve space for diplomacy even if Trump revives US sanctions on Iran in a few weeks.
Macron, followed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, went to Washington in hopes of persuading Trump not to reimpose sanctions on Iran as the May 12 deadline looms.
he said the US and France are seeking "a new deal" that would address what they call are concerns over Iran's missile program and regional role.
"This is, indeed, consistent with what we have been talking about for six months," said a French official on condition of anonymity, adding that Macron hoped to persuade Trump to stay in the existing deal with the fix under discussion but also to keep the door open to further talks even if he abandons it.
A diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity, however, said Macron was making the case for what "has been in the pipeline among the E3 [Britain, France and Germany] and the US."
Pompeo Mideast Visit
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday on a hastily-arranged visit to the Middle East as the United States aims to muster support for new sanctions against Iran.
The visit to Riyadh, Beit-ul-Moqaddas and Amman came just two days after Pompeo was sworn in.
"We are urging nations around the world to sanction any individuals and entities associated with Iran's missile program, and it has also been a big part of discussions with Europeans," Brian Hook, a senior policy advisor traveling with Pompeo, told reporters.
Iran has repeatedly said its missile program is of deterrent nature and has ruled out any negotiations over its defensive capabilities.
Tehran says it needs the program to be able to defend itself in a region that has seen many wars in the past decades.
