Iranian President Hassan Rouhani rejected a "Trump deal" to replace the Iranian nuclear pact | Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images Rouhani says no to new ‘Trump deal’ for Iran Iranian president says ‘right path’ is to stick with existing nuclear pact, after Boris Johnson calls on US president to broker a new one.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani rejected a "Trump deal" to replace the Iranian nuclear pact, on the same day the U.S. president came out in support of the idea.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday again floated the idea of replacing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was designed to curb Iran's nuclear program, with a new agreement brokered by the U.S. president. Donald Trump "is a great dealmaker, by his own account and many others," Johnson told the BBC. "Let's work together to replace the JCPOA and get the Trump deal instead."

The American president gave the idea his seal of approval, tweeting: "Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, @BorisJohnson, stated, We should replace the Iran deal with the Trump deal. I agree."

But Rouhani poured cold water over what he called Johnson's “strange” idea.

“This Mr. Prime Minister in London, I don’t know how he thinks," Rouhani said in a televised speech, according to Reuters. "He says let’s put aside the nuclear deal and put the Trump plan in action ... The right path is to return to the nuclear deal."

Rouhani's comments came after Britain, France and Germany triggered a mediation process on Tuesday aimed at forcing Tehran to return to compliance with limits placed on its nuclear program, or potentially face the reimposition of international sanctions. The European guarantors of the Iran nuclear deal have been struggling to preserve the pact since Trump's unilateral decision to withdraw in May 2018 and reimpose American sanctions on Iran.

Tensions escalated this month after the U.S. killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, and Iran retaliated by launching missile strikes against military bases in Iraq housing American troops, and stating it would no longer comply with limits placed on its nuclear program.

Rouhani said Iran could return to full compliance with its JCPOA obligations "as soon as sanctions are lifted."