Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani: US still an enemy

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that Congress’s decision to renew US sanctions for 10 years would elicit a “harsh reaction” and proved the United States was still an enemy.
“America... is our enemy, we have no doubt about this. The Americans want to put as much pressure on us as they can,” Rouhani said in a speech to students at Tehran University.
Rouhani said he would not let US President-elect Donald Trump rip up a global nuclear deal, warning of unspecified repercussions if Washington reneges on the agreement.
Trump had said during campaigns for the White House that he would scrap Iran’s pact with world powers — under which Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear program in return for lifted sanctions — describing it as “the worst deal ever negotiated.”
“Do you think the he can rip up the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal)? Do you think we and our nation will let him do that?”
Analysts have said Trump’s comments could signal a harder US line on Iran, a development that could in turn empower hard-liners on Iran’s political scene, including rivals of Rouhani.
The Iran Sanctions Act passed the US Senate 99-0 last week, after easily clearing the House of Representatives in November.
President Barack Obama is expected to sign the measure into a law, a White House official said, adding that the administration does not believe the extension violates last year’s nuclear deal between major powers and Iran.
Obama has suspended sanctions related to Iran’s nuclear program since the agreement went into effect at the start of the year.
But Iran says that even if the nuclear sanctions remain suspended, just keeping them on the books amounts to a breach of the agreement.
“If this is implemented... it would be a blatant and clear breach of the JCPOA (nuclear agreement) and would face a very harsh reaction from us,” Rouhani said.
Rouhani and other top officials are due to meet on Wednesday to discuss the issue.
Rouhani, who is expected to run for a second term in May, has faced a barrage of criticism from conservatives who say his team made too many concessions in the nuclear deal for minimal economic gain.
In Tuesday’s speech, he emphasised that his team had not acted alone and that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was closely involved at every stage of the negotiations.

Source: Arab News