U.S. President Donald Trump declared that he stands by his decision to decertify the nuclear deal, stressing that he is tired of other nations taking advantage of the United States. During a cabinet meeting, President Trump also noted that he was happy by the modified tone Iranian leaders were voicing with regard to reaching understandings on the deal, yet reiterated that if the agreement would not be renegotiated, it would result in “total termination.” President Trump said, “You know, we have the Iran deal that, right now, is being studied and I think a lot of people agreed with what I did. I feel strongly about what I did. I’m tired of being taken advantage of, as a nation. This nation has been taken advantage of for many, many years, for many decades, frankly, and I’m tired of watching it. But, the Iran deal was something that I felt had to be done. And we’ll see what phase two is. Phase two might be positive; it might be very negative. Might be a total termination: that’s a very real possibility. Some would say that’s a greater possibility. But, it also could turn out to be very positive. We’ll see what happens. I thought the tone of the Iranian leaders was very modified. And, I was happy to see that but I don’t know if that means anything. They’re great negotiators. They negotiated a phenomenal deal for themselves but a horrible deal for the United States. And we’re going to see what happens,” the American leader stressed.
In response to Trump’s remarks, Iran’s parliament speaker Ali Larijani warned that if the United States would leave the 2015 agreement, which provided the Islamic Republic with sanction-relief in exchange for limiting Tehran’s nuclear program, it could mark an end to the international deal. Larijani, who is visiting the Russian city of St. Petersburg for an international parliamentary forum, stressed that Washington’s possible withdrawal from the nuclear agreement would be an insult to the United Nations. He said, “Unfortunately, the United States is in a condition, which by such statements of course, they will deteriorate their status. Nuclear deal is not a bilateral treaty. Nuclear deal is sealed by the United Nations Security Council resolution. Therefore, it is an insult to the U.N. But we have a clear response to all these issues,” the Iranian parliament speaker said.
Meanwhile, the European Union vowed to defend the Iranian nuclear deal, warning the United States that any weakening of the agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons could lead to serious consequences. Ahead of a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers, the Union’s Foreign Policy Chief emphasized that Europe remains fully committed to the implementation of the nuclear agreement, while reiterating that no alternatives would be considered. Mogherini sternly asserted, “It’s an agreement that is working. It’s an agreement that we need for our security, and I would expect from the ministers today a strong signal of European unity and its support and the full commitment to have it implemented by all sides at full.” She added “I stated I think quite clearly already on Friday night that we do not expect the deal to be finished. We expect the deal to be preserved, to continue to be implemented by all sides and this is a strong European commitment. So I am not considering alternatives,” she emphasized. American officials in Washington emphasized that the nuclear deal was under a magnifying glass, stressing that it could possibly be maintained if the international community would join together in assuring that Iran would not become the next North Korea.