President Rouhani:
Iran to Give ‘Crushing Response’ If Arms Ban Extended
TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday pledged a "crushing response” if the United States goes ahead with plans to extend an embargo on Iranian trade of conventional arms, which the United Nations is set to lift later this year.
Under Iran’s deal with world powers to accept limits to its nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions, a UN weapons embargo is due to expire in October. The United States, which exited the deal in 2018, says it wants to extend the embargo.
In a speech on Wednesday, Rouhani repeated Iran’s longstanding criticism of Washington’s decision to exit the nuclear deal, which he called a "stupid mistake”.
"If America wants to return to the deal, it should lift all the sanctions on Tehran and compensate for the reimposition of sanctions,” said Rouhani. "Iran will give a crushing response if the arms embargo on Tehran is extended,” he added.
Rouhani said the lifting of the embargo was "an inseparable part” of the nuclear accord.
"If it is ever reimposed... they know well what severe consequences and what historical defeat awaits them if they make such a mistake.”
Iran has gradually rolled back its commitments under the accord in response to the U.S. decision to quit, but says it wants the agreement to remain in place. It has criticized European parties to the deal for failing to salvage the pact by shielding its economy from U.S. sanctions.
"Iran’s nuclear steps are reversible if other parties to the deal fulfill their obligations and preserve Tehran’s interests under the pact,” Rouhani said.
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani warned Sunday that the deal would "die forever” if the embargo is extended.
Tehran has in the past threatened to retaliate against any reimposition of UN sanctions by withdrawing from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Washington has said it would use a legal argument based on an interpretation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that it remains a "participant” in the nuclear deal despite renouncing it, and can extend the arms embargo on Tehran or see more stringent sanctions reimposed.
Iran, for its part, accuses the U.S. of violating the resolution over its 2018 withdrawal. "There is no longer a JCPOA for America,” Rouhani said.
He added that the U.S. "should know, and some other countries too, that Iran will in no way accept a violation of Resolution 2231”, while stressing that lifting the embargo is Iran’s "inalienable right”.
Rouhani said Iran would not use weapons it purchases to "add fuel to the fire” but to "extinguish flames” by not allowing conflicts to take place.
"Iran considers the lifting of the arms embargo an obvious right,” he said during a Cabinet meeting.
Before the embargo, Iran had said it was exporting arms to dozens of countries. The country has been seeking a military self-sufficiency program since 1992, producing an array of weapons, including missiles, torpedoes, submarines and jetfighters.
Under Iran’s deal with world powers to accept limits to its nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions, a UN weapons embargo is due to expire in October. The United States, which exited the deal in 2018, says it wants to extend the embargo.
In a speech on Wednesday, Rouhani repeated Iran’s longstanding criticism of Washington’s decision to exit the nuclear deal, which he called a "stupid mistake”.
"If America wants to return to the deal, it should lift all the sanctions on Tehran and compensate for the reimposition of sanctions,” said Rouhani. "Iran will give a crushing response if the arms embargo on Tehran is extended,” he added.
Rouhani said the lifting of the embargo was "an inseparable part” of the nuclear accord.
"If it is ever reimposed... they know well what severe consequences and what historical defeat awaits them if they make such a mistake.”
Iran has gradually rolled back its commitments under the accord in response to the U.S. decision to quit, but says it wants the agreement to remain in place. It has criticized European parties to the deal for failing to salvage the pact by shielding its economy from U.S. sanctions.
"Iran’s nuclear steps are reversible if other parties to the deal fulfill their obligations and preserve Tehran’s interests under the pact,” Rouhani said.
Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani warned Sunday that the deal would "die forever” if the embargo is extended.
Tehran has in the past threatened to retaliate against any reimposition of UN sanctions by withdrawing from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Washington has said it would use a legal argument based on an interpretation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that it remains a "participant” in the nuclear deal despite renouncing it, and can extend the arms embargo on Tehran or see more stringent sanctions reimposed.
Iran, for its part, accuses the U.S. of violating the resolution over its 2018 withdrawal. "There is no longer a JCPOA for America,” Rouhani said.
He added that the U.S. "should know, and some other countries too, that Iran will in no way accept a violation of Resolution 2231”, while stressing that lifting the embargo is Iran’s "inalienable right”.
Rouhani said Iran would not use weapons it purchases to "add fuel to the fire” but to "extinguish flames” by not allowing conflicts to take place.
"Iran considers the lifting of the arms embargo an obvious right,” he said during a Cabinet meeting.
Before the embargo, Iran had said it was exporting arms to dozens of countries. The country has been seeking a military self-sufficiency program since 1992, producing an array of weapons, including missiles, torpedoes, submarines and jetfighters.