News / Politics

Iran warns of 'special surprise' if nuclear deal ditched

Thursday, 05 April 2018 5:33 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 05 April 2018 6:22 PM ]

Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI)

Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi warns of a "special surprise" if the Trump administration goes ahead with its threat to scuttle the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"The enemies should know that in case of a JCPOA rollback - even though we are never looking for such a situation - special conditions will arise, and when the high ranking officials decide, there will be a special surprise for those who scuttle the agreement," he said Thursday.

"We are seriously looking to preserve our national interests and sovereignty, but if the United States withdraws and Europe and other great powers retreat from this agreement, we will definitely do something different," he added.

Salehi described US President Donald Trump as a businessman who has mixed trade with politics, trying to advance his agendas in the international arena with his unpredictable decisions.

Trump has been a vociferous critic of the Iran nuclear deal which was signed between Tehran and six world powers in 2015. He has called the JCPOA the “worst deal ever” and even threatened to tear it up.

In January, he decided to stick with JCPOA for now, but gave the European signatories a May 12 deadline to "fix the terrible flaws" of the accord or he will refuse to extend US sanctions relief on Iran.

PressTV-Trump waives Iran nuclear sanctions: White House

US President Donald Trump has waived nuclear-related sanctions against Iran, according to the White House.

Late last month, White House principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah said that Trump is “prepared to potentially withdraw” from the Iran deal if changes to the agreement are not made.

Iran maintains that it will not renegotiate JCPOA, an international document endorsed by the Security Council Resolution 2231.

Other parties to the agreement, namely Russia, China, Britain, Germany and France, have all criticized Trump’s hostile views, saying the deal is sound and has proven to be functioning.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is tasked with monitoring Iran’s nuclear activities, has repeatedly verified Tehran's full commitment to its side of the bargain.

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