Asia

‘Unpleasant for Americans:’ Iran Vows Retaliation if US Kills Nuke Deal

The Iranian government promised to deliver an “unpleasant” reaction if US President Donald Trump exits the multilateral 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Sputnik

"Iran has many options if the United States leaves the nuclear deal," Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told reporters in New York on Thursday.

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"The response from Iran, and in fact from the international community, to the US move would be very unpleasant for Americans," Zarif said.

Zarif is slated to discuss US-Iran relations, regional politics in the Middle East and the future of the Iran nuclear deal April 23 at an event hosted by Stephen Hadley and the Council on Foreign Relations. Hadley served as former US President George W Bush's national security adviser and is a member at CFR.

Meeting with senior United Nations officials is also on the Iranian diplomat's agenda in New York, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

Trump has consistently called the Iran deal "horrible." In January, the president announced that he would never reauthorize agreement again without structural changes to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the official name for the Iran nuclear deal.

For the US to remain in the deal, the president must periodically waive nuclear sanctions against Iran that are still part of the United States legal code. Trump has until May 12 to sign those waivers and keep the deal alive.

Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, predicted last month that the Iran nuclear deal was unlikely to be extended past the May deadline. "I think the president likely will move away from it," Corker told CBS March 18.

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