Top Iran officials wary of Europe after US deal withdrawal
Iranian officials expressed doubt about reaching an agreement with Europe to keep the JCPOA in place following the US withdrawal.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has expressed doubts about Tehran reaching an agreement with Europe, warning the moderate government of Hassan Rouhani not to trust European powers.
In a speech on the occasion of National Teachers’ Week, Ayatollah Khamenei reacted to US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, saying, “The US president's shallow and ludicrous behavior wasn't unexpected. The same behavior existed in former US presidents. … There were probably over 10 lies in his speech. He threatened both the Iranian government and Iranian nation, claiming he would do one thing or another. On behalf of the Iranian nation I will say, 'Mr. Trump, you can’t do a damn thing.'”
Minutes after Trump’s speech, the Iranian president went on Iranian state television to say that Iran will decide whether to remain within the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) following talks with the European signatories (Britain, France and Germany) along with Russia and China.
Mentioning Rouhani’s determination to protect the deal, Khamenei stated, “I don't trust these three European Union countries either. If the government wants to make an agreement, they should ask for a guarantee, or else [Europe] will all do just as the United States did. If there is no definite guarantee, the JCPOA cannot continue.”
