TEHRAN – While Tehran said it will stand firm in pursuing its missile program and endorsing the IRGC despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s decertification of the Joint comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the EU also expressed disagreement with Washington’s new Iran strategy.

President Hassan Rouhani, in response to Trump, said Iran will respect the nuclear deal despite Washington’s new strategy.

Rouhani also said Trump’s speech showed that the JCPOA is more strongly built than what Trump had imagined during his election campaigns.

“We will respect the deal as long as our interests are met,” Rouhani said, adding Tehran will continue to work with the UN nuclear watchdog in its oversight of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear activities.

Rouhani says: “If our partners would attempt to disregard their obligations under the deal, we will not hesitate a moment to respond.”

“We were not caught off-guard” by this new move, for it has many precedents over the past 40 years, Rouhani stated.

Addressing other JCPOA parties, he stressed, “If our partners would attempt to disregard their obligations under the deal, we will not hesitate a moment to respond.”

In response to Trump’s announced measures to pose restrictions on the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Rouhani said it cannot be justified to call the IRGC a terrorist group while it is the main force fighting Daesh.

“The Guards, along the Iraqi, Syrian, and Yemeni nations, have fought terrorist groups reared by America and will not sit idle until their destruction.”

As for Trump’s criticism of Iran’s missile program, the president noted that Iran’s program is only for defensive purposes. “Are you really worried of Iran’s missiles? What about weapons you keep selling to aggressor states which bomb innocent people in Yemen with weapons and planes made by you?”

“The Iranian nation is now more determined to defend itself and will take stronger measures to ensure that.”

Rouhani earlier the day made a phone call to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, where he stressed that any action taken by the president of the United States against the JCPOA means undermining a multilateral agreement.

“The JCPOA is in no way negotiable, and all parties must adhere to their obligations and the president or the Congress of the United States must not be allowed to take actions against it,” Rouhani asserted.

“The International Atomic Energy Agency is the only body to declare Iran’s commitment to its obligations, and mixing multilateral and international commitments with domestic disagreements in the U.S. can be very dangerous for global confidence,” Rouhani stated.

EU say U.S. cannot walk out of nuclear deal

A few minutes after Trump announced his strategy, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini objected to his statements.

In a press conference, Mogherini said the JCPOA is a multinational deal and therefore cannot be terminated by one state.

Furthermore, she noted, the deal is backed by a United Nations Security Council resolution. “I do not think a country can violate a UN resolution,” she stressed.

In another move, the UK government published on its website a joint statement by Prime Minister Theresa May, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron following Trump’s statement on Trump’s Iran strategy.

“We, the Leaders of France, Germany and the United Kingdom take note of President Trump’s decision not to recertify Iran’s compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to Congress and are concerned by the possible implications,” the three leaders said.

“We stand committed to the JCPOA and its full implementation by all sides. Preserving the JCPOA is in our shared national security interest. The nuclear deal was the culmination of 13 years of diplomacy and was a major step towards ensuring that Iran’s nuclear program is not diverted for military purposes.

“… we encourage the U.S. Administration and Congress to consider the implications to the security of the U.S. and its allies before taking any steps that might undermine the JCPOA, such as re-imposing sanctions on Iran lifted under the agreement.”

“Our governments are committed to ensuring the JCPOA is maintained. Independent of the JCPOA, we need to make sure that our collective wider concerns are being addressed,” they said, referring to Iran’s ballistic missiles.

Foreign Ministry rebuffs Trump strategy

In an announcement on Friday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry decried Washington’s adventures against Tehran.

The principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran are to support the peace and stability of the region and confront destabilizing and divisive measures aimed at creating tension and conflict in the region. Therefore, the decisive struggle against ISIL and terrorist groups in the region is a priority of the Islamic Republic.

Meanwhile, U.S. policy, especially its support for terrorist groups and repressive regimes, has been one of the main sources of instability in the region. The United States cannot blame others to escape the burden and should be responsible for its misguided policies.

Over the past few decades, the U.S. policy in support of the Zionist regime and oppressive and repressive regimes in the region has led to constant conflict on the one hand, and the emergence of the phenomenon of terrorism on the other. American friends and allies in the region are the main sponsors of international terrorism, which does not even spare American citizens inside the United States.

Iran’s missile power is only defensive and deterrent. This capability has played an important role so far in the path of regional peace and stability.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is serious about maintaining and expanding its defense and security capabilities.

The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, represent the power and authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The government and all of Iran’s people strongly support these forces. Any action against the Islamic Republic's armed forces, including the IRGC, will be faced with a consistent response by the Islamic Republic.

The principled and permanent policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the fight against weapons of mass destruction throughout the world and the move towards global disarmament.

This policy is the basis, and the compliance of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been approved by the only supervisory authority for 8 times. On the other hand, the failure of the United States to comply with this agreement and its repeated violations of the spirit and the terms of the agreement is clear.

The differences between Iranian and American policies in many regional and global issues are obvious and undeniable. Since the beginning of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, U.S. governments have pushed these disagreements toward inimical policies against Iran.

Trump’s “new strategy”

Trump on Friday said he would not certify the Iran deal, paving the way for the Congress to adopt measures to pose new restrictions on Iran.

Accusing Iran of sponsoring terrorism and violating the nuclear deal, Trump said his government will work closely with Congress to mend what he called the flaws in the JCPOA and work more restrictions into sunset conditions of the deal, in what he said would ensure that a “nuclear breakout” of Iran would be precluded.

He also threatened that in case his administration and Congress do not agree on putting more sanctions on Iran, he will terminate the deal in person.

Trump in particular said Washington will adopt “tough sanctions” on the IRGC.

In the meantime, the Treasury announced it had put under sanctions a number of companies affiliated with the IRGC.

SP/PA