In trying to isolate Iran by withdrawing from the international nuclear deal and reimposing economic sanctions, President Donald Trump has instead further cast America adrift, President Hassan Rouhani says.
"The goal of the United States was to see Iran quit the JCPOA as soon as it (US) pulls out and send Iran's dossier to the UN Security Council immediately so that all resolutions and sanctions would be reintroduced and Iran would be left alone against the world," he told a gathering of students in Tehran late on Saturday.
Washington's first plot against Tehran has been foiled, Rouhani said, according to his official website.
Trump announced his decision to pull out of the accord— to which Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia are also signatories—and reimpose US sanctions on Tehran on May 8, upsetting European allies with trade interests in Iran that have so far remained committed to the deal.
*** Evading UNSC
Some political experts say the US decision to evade the United Nations Security Council and not push for a snapback of sanctions was out of the desire not to expose how alone Trump‘s America really is.
"It would have been a very public spectacle at the Security Council meeting and us being completely alone," Dennis Ross, a former Middle East envoy under both Democratic and Republican presidents, told Foreign Policy.
Others argue that the US can no longer avail itself of the option to pull the snapback trigger on Iran since it is now out of the deal.
Under the terms of a July 2015 UN Security Council resolution, participants in the Iran agreement have the right to invoke a so-called snapback provision that would reinstate more than half a dozen UN sanctions resolutions dating back to 2006, according to Foreign Policy.
*** US Isolation
Rouhani in his address said, "Except for a handful of countries and a fake regime [in Israel], the entire world stood against the United States. This means Iran's foreign policy has been successful. This is while there was a time when countries were involved in enforcing sanctions against Iran."
Today, major European powers, Russia, China and other influential countries regard Trump's decisions as "incorrect" and "illegal" that undermine global peace and security, Rouhani said. "This indeed is an achievement for us."
Since Trump's announcement, EU leaders have pledged to try to keep Iran's oil trade and investment flowing but admit that will not be easy. Chinese and Russian diplomats have also been involved in intense talks with other parties to help salvage the agreement.
Iran has said it will remain faithful to the agreement as long as its national interests are served.
