In his first statement after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a speech on Washington’s policy regarding Iran after the exit from the nuclear deal, Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has set 7 conditions for the European nations if they want Tehran to remain in the agreement.
In the wake of Washington's threats to target EU firms dealing with the Islamic Republic amid US sanctions, he said that the European banks should safeguard trade with Iran.
"We don't want to start a fight with Europe but these three countries have shown that they will follow America in the most sensitive issues," he added.
Moreover, In his official Twitter account Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Germany, France and the United Kingdom of staying silent over the course of two years while the United States violated the 2015 agreement.
Europe must confront imposition of any sanctions on the Islamic Republic and stand firmly against US's sanctions on Iran.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) 23 мая 2018 г.
Khamenei said that the European Union issue a resolution condemning alleged US violations. The EU powers must also confront imposition of any sanctions and "stand firmly against US's sanctions on Iran," he added.
If the Europeans hesitate in responding to our demands, Iran is entitled to resuming its nuclear activities. When we find out the #JCPOA has no benefits, one of our options is to resume cancelled activities.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) 23 мая 2018 г.
READ MORE: Demands Put Forward by US Clearly Unacceptable for Iran – Moscow
According to him as quoted by national TV, US President Donald Trump "would vanish from history just like his predecessors."
"There is no doubt that the Americans will be defeated… provided Iranian officials fully perform their duties," he added.
He has further said that "from the first day of the Islamic Revolution the US has applied all kinds of enmity to hit the Islamic Republic."
At the same time, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has condemned the recent threat of sanctions announced by the United States, describing US diplomacy as a "sham."
"Pompeo and other US officials are trapped in old illusions. … They are taken hostage by corrupt pressure groups," he said.
US diplomacy sham is merely a regression to old habits: imprisoned by delusions & failed policies—dictated by corrupt Special Interest—it repeats the same wrong choices and will thus reap the same ill rewards. Iran, meanwhile, is working with partners for post-US JCPOA solutions.
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) 21 мая 2018 г.
Pompeo presented a list of 12 demands to Iran, threatening to impose the “strongest sanctions in history” if Tehran does not comply.
On May 23, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also praised Pompeo and US President Donald Trump for their “strong leadershi,” according to The Jerusalem Post.
READ MORE: Pompeo: US Demands for Iran 'Are Not That Difficult' to Fulfill
Earlier this month President Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw the United States from the Iran nuclear agreement – a deal which offered Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbing its nuclear program.
All the other parties to the agreement – Russia, China, Iran, Germany, France and the United Kingdom – have not supported Trump’s move.
