Leader: Iran Will React to Any Wrong Move on JCPOA
TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Sunday Iran will not be bullied by the United States and will react strongly to any "wrong move” by Washington on Tehran’s nuclear accord.
His comments came after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Iran was violating "the spirit” of the 2015 agreement even as the United Nations has repeatedly verified Tehran’s compliance.
"The Iranian nation is standing firm and any wrong move by the domineering regime regarding the (nuclear accord) will face the reaction of the Islamic Republic,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
Washington extended some sanctions relief for Iran on Thursday under the nuclear agreement with world powers but said it had yet to decide whether to maintain the agreement.
Trump must make a decision by mid-October whether to certify that Iran is complying with the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). If he does not, Congress has 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions waived under the deal.
"Today, despite all the commitments and discussions in the negotiations, America’s attitude toward these negotiations and their outcome is completely unjust and amounts to bullying,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a speech to Iranian military academy graduates.
"The Americans should know that the Iranian people will stand firm on their honorable positions and on important issues related to national interests, there will be no retreat by the Islamic Republic,” the Leader said.
Iran said last month it could abandon the nuclear agreement "within hours” if the United States imposes any new penalties, after Washington ordered unilateral sanctions over Tehran’s ballistic missile tests.
The United States imposed unilateral sanctions, saying Tehran’s ballistic missile tests violated a UN resolution that endorsed the nuclear deal and called upon Tehran not to undertake activities related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such technology.
It stopped short of explicitly barring such activity.
Iran denies its missile development breaches the resolution, saying its missiles are not designed to carry nuclear weapons.
Ayatollah Khamenei said, "Iran, which is a powerful nation, will not give in to pressure and will not bow."
"The corrupt, lying, deceitful U.S. officials insolently accuse the nation of Iran and the Islamic Republic’s establishment of lying, whereas the nation of Iran has acted honestly and will continue on this path until the end in an honest manner," the Leader said.
"The enemy should know that bullying may work in other parts of world, but it will not work in the Islamic republic," he added.
Referring to American officials’ "brazen and shameless” measures with regard to the JCPOA, the Leader said, "They show one wickedness and one mischief with regard to this issue everyday, which proves that what our honorable Imam (Khomeini) said about America being the Great Satan is true and the regime of the United States of America is really the most evil of devils.”
The Leader said the country’s officials reached the conclusion that they should negotiate and ignore some of their rights so that would be removed.
"But today, we see that despite all agreements and promises and many discussions during the negotiations, America treats these negotiations and their outcome in a totally oppressive and bullying manner.”
Ayatollah Khamenei said amid U.S. measures to scuttle the nuclear deal, Iranian "officials must prove to the corrupt leaders of the regime of the United States of America that they rely on their own people and the Iranian nation, which is a powerful nation thanks to Islam, will never submit and bow to them.”
The increasing hostility toward Iran, the Leader said, is because the Iranian nation "is a source of inspiration for other nations.”
Ayatollah Khamenei cited "wicked and mischievous interventions” by the U.S. and the Zionist regime, which are after their own illegitimate interests and weakening the regional nations, as the main reason behind insecurity in the Middle East.
The Leader stated that if the regional nations and governments want to curb the infiltration of hegemonic powers like the United States into the region, they must really believe in their ability to do so.
"If we step back, the enemy will step forward,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
His comments came after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Iran was violating "the spirit” of the 2015 agreement even as the United Nations has repeatedly verified Tehran’s compliance.
"The Iranian nation is standing firm and any wrong move by the domineering regime regarding the (nuclear accord) will face the reaction of the Islamic Republic,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.
Washington extended some sanctions relief for Iran on Thursday under the nuclear agreement with world powers but said it had yet to decide whether to maintain the agreement.
Trump must make a decision by mid-October whether to certify that Iran is complying with the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). If he does not, Congress has 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions waived under the deal.
"Today, despite all the commitments and discussions in the negotiations, America’s attitude toward these negotiations and their outcome is completely unjust and amounts to bullying,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a speech to Iranian military academy graduates.
"The Americans should know that the Iranian people will stand firm on their honorable positions and on important issues related to national interests, there will be no retreat by the Islamic Republic,” the Leader said.
Iran said last month it could abandon the nuclear agreement "within hours” if the United States imposes any new penalties, after Washington ordered unilateral sanctions over Tehran’s ballistic missile tests.
The United States imposed unilateral sanctions, saying Tehran’s ballistic missile tests violated a UN resolution that endorsed the nuclear deal and called upon Tehran not to undertake activities related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using such technology.
It stopped short of explicitly barring such activity.
Iran denies its missile development breaches the resolution, saying its missiles are not designed to carry nuclear weapons.
Ayatollah Khamenei said, "Iran, which is a powerful nation, will not give in to pressure and will not bow."
"The corrupt, lying, deceitful U.S. officials insolently accuse the nation of Iran and the Islamic Republic’s establishment of lying, whereas the nation of Iran has acted honestly and will continue on this path until the end in an honest manner," the Leader said.
"The enemy should know that bullying may work in other parts of world, but it will not work in the Islamic republic," he added.
Referring to American officials’ "brazen and shameless” measures with regard to the JCPOA, the Leader said, "They show one wickedness and one mischief with regard to this issue everyday, which proves that what our honorable Imam (Khomeini) said about America being the Great Satan is true and the regime of the United States of America is really the most evil of devils.”
The Leader said the country’s officials reached the conclusion that they should negotiate and ignore some of their rights so that would be removed.
"But today, we see that despite all agreements and promises and many discussions during the negotiations, America treats these negotiations and their outcome in a totally oppressive and bullying manner.”
Ayatollah Khamenei said amid U.S. measures to scuttle the nuclear deal, Iranian "officials must prove to the corrupt leaders of the regime of the United States of America that they rely on their own people and the Iranian nation, which is a powerful nation thanks to Islam, will never submit and bow to them.”
The increasing hostility toward Iran, the Leader said, is because the Iranian nation "is a source of inspiration for other nations.”
Ayatollah Khamenei cited "wicked and mischievous interventions” by the U.S. and the Zionist regime, which are after their own illegitimate interests and weakening the regional nations, as the main reason behind insecurity in the Middle East.
The Leader stated that if the regional nations and governments want to curb the infiltration of hegemonic powers like the United States into the region, they must really believe in their ability to do so.
"If we step back, the enemy will step forward,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.