Iran's president reiterated his warning against a US pullout from the landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers as meetings between President Donald Trump France's Emmanuel Macron got underway in Washington.
Hassan Rouhani said the United States will face "grave" consequences if Washington decides to withdraw from the 2015 agreement that curbed Iran's controversial nuclear enrichment program in exchange for lifting international sanctions on the Mideast nation.
"If someone wants to betray our nation and the deal, grave consequences will affect them," Rouhani told supporters in the city of Tabriz during a visit to the area. State TV broadcast the speech.
The Iranian nation and government will "strongly resist" any plots by those who sit in the White House, he added but did not elaborate, only saying that Iran has prepared for "various scenarios" while it abided by its commitments under the deal.
Also today, Ali Shamkahni, the secretary of the country's Supreme National Security Council, signaled that one option for Tehran would be to quit the nuclear non-proliferation treaty if Trump scraps the nuclear deal.
"Signatory countries have right to quit if they feel their national interests are not safeguarded," Shamkhani said before leaving for a visit to Moscow.
"This is one of the choices Iran has." He added that Tehran would consider any move by the US to pull out of the accord or attempts to modify it as a "collapse" of the deal.
Trump did not re-certify the deal in January but extended the main sanctions waivers and gave the Europeans until the next waiver deadline on May 12 to come up with fixes to the deal.
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