Iran says it will abandon nuclear deal next week

Tehran said it will abandon the nuclear deal next week, over a year after the US withdrew from the agreement.

2 min read

25 June, 2019

Iran has condemned the issuing of new sanctions on officials [Getty]

Iran said on Tuesday it will formally withdraw from a nuclear deal with world powers next week, after the US issued tough new sanctions on leaders of the country.

Tehran will "resolutely" abandon all commitments it made in the 2015 nuclear deal on 7 July, Iran state news reported on Tuesday, according to a top security official.

"As of 7 July, Iran will forcefully take the second step of reducing its commitments" to the nuclear deal, Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said.

US National Security Adviser John Bolton said earlier on Tuesday that "all options remain on the table" if Iran exceeds the uranium enrichment limit agreed under the 2015 nuclear deal.

He said Iran "should give up their pursuit of deliverable nuclear weapons".

Iran's Economy Minister Farhad Dejpasand said that Tehran is ready to counter any new sanctions issued by the US, after the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei and Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif on Monday.

"We have our plans and options to counter the enemy's pressure and sanctions," Economy Minister Farhad Dejpasand said, according to Tasnim News.

"But I will not reveal more details about our plans."

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday that Washington is "lying" about offering to negotiate to calm down recent tensions and slammed new US sanctions on Tehran.

"At the same time as you call for negotiations you seek to sanction the foreign minister? It's obvious that you're lying," Rouhani said in a meeting with ministers broadcast live on TV.

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that Iran would be making a "serious mistake" by violating the 2015 nuclear deal.

"French, German and British diplomacy is completely mobilised to make Iran understand that it would not be in its interest," Jean-Yves Le Drian told parliament.

Agencies contributed to this story.