All Capacities to Be Tapped to Foil Trump Attempts to Hit Iran Economy: Zanganeh
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh made assurances that the country would use all its capacities to thwart US President Donald Trump’s attempts to deal a blow to the Islamic Republic’s economy through re-imposing sanctions against Tehran.
“We would do anything needed to counter Trump,” Zanganeh told reporters on Monday on the sidelines of a ceremony held for signing a contract on the construction of a pipeline between the Iranian southeastern cities of Chabahar and Iranshahr.
Iran should wait and see what Trump would do, he said, referring to the US possible decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“We, as the Islamic Republic of Iran, would use all the experiences and capacities so that Trump cannot harm Iran, and we do not exclude any option,” Zanganeh stressed.
Under the JCPOA, Iran agreed to curbs and inspections on its nuclear program in exchange for relief from anti-Tehran sanctions.
Trump in January set a 120-day deadline for US lawmakers and European allies to “fix” his predecessor Barack Obama's main foreign policy achievement or face a US exit.
Since the historic deal was signed by Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) in Vienna in July 2015, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly confirmed the Islamic Republic’s compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA, but some other parties, especially the US, have failed to live up to their undertakings.
In March, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned of serious repercussions of a US decision to pull out of the multilateral agreement, saying such a move would plunge the Middle East into war.
