Iran fully prepared for US withdrawal from nuclear deal

In an exclusive interview, the informed source said “the instructions have already been given to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and the Foreign Ministry” on the way they should react after US President Donald Trump’s possible withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“We have all received our instructions. The AEOI is fully prepared to speed up our nuclear program and we have also our instructions to go and activate the Paragraph 26 which is a mechanism in the JCPOA to deal with this non-compliance of the deal by the US,” the source added.

The remarks came as Iran’s nuclear chief had earlier warned that the Islamic Republic would reconsider its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) if the US fails to implement its commitments as per the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.

Speaking in a telephone conversation with IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano on Monday, Ali Akbar Salehi warned about the consequences of Washington’s possible withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

 “If the US does not fulfil its commitments under the nuclear deal, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make decisions that can influence the current trend of Tehran’s cooperation with the IAEA,” said Salehi, the head of the AEOI.

Trump must decide by January 12 whether he will re-certify the Iran deal, known as the JCPOA, reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, including the United States.

Re-certification indicates that Iran is complying with the terms of the nuclear accord.

Trump faces a series of deadlines in the coming days about what to do with the Iran deal, which he has called an “embarrassment” to the US and “the worst deal ever negotiated.”

Trump has not made a decision about whether he will certify the pact next week and continue to waive sanctions against Iran.

END