Top Security Official:

US Withdrawal from N. Deal Not to Force Iran to Make Concessions

Rasa - Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani warned of his country's reaction to the US possible withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, stressing that Washington's move would not lead to more concessions by Tehran.

News ID: 437580

Date: 08 May 2018 - 22:18

RNA - Shamkhani said on Tuesday that the US is pleased with Europe's partnership in pressuring Tehran to make more concessions and US President Donald Trump is likely to distance himself from his past position to fully destroy the nuclear deal but "they have understood somehow that the Islamic Republic of Iran will stand against this strategy firmly and will not accept any excessive demands to make new concessions".

"This strategy will certainly fail and the bigger failure on this path will be for the Europeans," he added.

Shamkhani, meantime, raised the possibility that Trump would fully destroy the nuclear deal without any attention to the Europeans' view, noting, "If the nuclear deal is destroyed with the US move, certainly, it will not benefit the US."

"If the US starts confrontation against Iran, we will not certainly remain passive," he warned.

He warned again that Iran would not budge and would not grant any more concessions under any circumstances.

In relevant remarks earlier today, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani played down the impact of Trump's possible decision to walk away from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers.

"Exceptional conditions are likely to occur from time to time and a special figure comes to power somewhere in the world to impose special conditions; however, such conditions are short-lived and will end and we will leave the problems behind," Rouhani said during a visit to the Iran Oil and Gas Show.

His remarks came on the same day the US president is poised to decide about withdrawal from the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

According to Fars News Agancy, Rouhani said his administration had always sought "constructive interaction" under "win-win conditions" with the world.

"With or without sanctions, we have to move in such a direction to use national capabilities," he added.

Rouhani said the government was expected to provide conditions conducive to the activity of oil industrialists.

"If we don't have good relations with our neighbors and don't have calculated relations with the world what should we do with money and technology?" asked the president.

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