The Iranian administration has condemned Washington’s “illegal” withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, saying that “law breaking” and “breach of commitments” have turned into a habit for the United States.
Tehran has reiterated that it will remain in the JCPOA for now, pending negotiations with the other signatories in the coming weeks before making a final decision on its future role in the pact.
The Iranian administration once again emphasized that no part of the nuclear deal, which is the outcome of over a decade of negotiations, is up for negotiation.
In an official statement issued on Thursday, Iran’s administration said US President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran deal is nothing new as other international accords, including the Paris climate deal and the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, had earlier been subjected to such American withdrawals.
Late on Tuesday, Trump angered the six other parties to the Iran nuclear deal and the entire international community by withdrawing the US from the landmark accord, which is officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The US president also threatened that the “highest level” of economic sanctions would be reinstated against Iran.
“Breaking laws and breaching promises have become a habit of the United States” under Trump, said the statement, adding that Washington’s exit from the Iran deal “poses a serious threat to the global legal order.”
Trump’s move has in particular “called into serious question the foundations of international relations in the world today as well as the credit of bilateral and multilateral agreements with the United States.”
“Contrary to the US, Iran has always honored its international commitments” and considers such an approach as one of its basic religious principals as well as “an inalienable and fundamental” rule of international law, the Iranian administration's statement said.
Iran, it noted, will follow up on Washington’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal based on the very rules and articles of the JCPOA, adding that the Islamic Republic reserves “the legal right to adopt any countermeasures that it deems fit.”