Supreme Leader’s Top Aide: Options on Table for Iran If US Quits JCPOA

“If the Americans attempt to violate the JCPOA, it is not clear whether the Islamic Republic will remain committed to its obligations and if they exit, Iran will definitely leave it, too,” Velayati said.

The top aide reiterated that if the European countries question the solidity of the JCPOA and reinstate sanctions against Iran, which were lifted under the nuclear pact, they will make the deal “ineffective” as far as Iran’s interests are concerned.

Velayati underlined that the agreement should be implemented in its written form because otherwise Tehran will be entitled to retaliate., and said, “Iran will not accept a deal that harms the country.”

Trump has been a vociferous critic of the Iran nuclear agreement, which was negotiated under his predecessor, Barack Obama. He has called the agreement the “worst deal ever” and even threatened to tear it up.

Back in January, Trump said he was extending the sanctions relief on Iran for the last time, giving the European signatories a May 12 deadline to fix what he claimed “flaws” in the agreement or he would refuse to waive those bans.

Iran insists there is no way it will renegotiate the nuclear pact, which was endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231 in 2015.