Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has stated that any attempts to undermine the nuclear deal are futile. The agreement that has long been criticized by US President Donald Trump took another hit earlier this month as he refused to certify Tehran’s compliance with it.
“Every day [Trump] says this deal is the worst in US history. As he put it, it is shameful for America, but still he has not been able to do anything with this agreement,” Rouhani said in a televised speech on Sunday, as quoted by PressTV.
Earlier, Rouhani said, defending the agreement, that “Trump or anyone else” cannot reverse the deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“During the nuclear negotiations and agreement we reached issues and benefits that are not reversible,” the Iranian president said at Tehran University on October 7.
The deal has been repeatedly criticized by President Trump who refused earlier this month to officially confirm to Congress that Tehran is in compliance with the agreement. Trump also noted that if the US efforts to “improve” the agreement fail, then Washington will withdraw from it.
Later, US State Secretary Rex Tillerson said that Washington was “going to stay in” the deal, though he left open the possibility that the US could seek another agreement.
READ MORE: Tehran Says Failure of Iran Nuclear Deal Will End Hopes for Non-Proliferation
Washington’s policy on the Iranian nuclear deal has not been supported by its European allies and Russia.
In particular, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has condemned US attempts to undermine the agreement, saying that Tehran is in full compliance with the terms of the agreement. He also stressed that it is impossible to return to the situation which existed before the deal was signed.
“Any attempts to start such talks [to break up the Iran nuclear deal] may bury this important agreement in the sphere of strategic stability and nuclear non-proliferation,” Lavrov said last week.
The JCPOA was signed July 14, 2015 between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, comprising the US, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom plus Germany.
Tehran has pledged to limit its nuclear activities, placing it under international control. On January 16, 2016, it was announced that the deal had been launched, whereupon Washington canceled the sanctions imposed on Iran.