Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said Tehran will bypass Washington and negotiate with the other signatories of a multinational nuclear deal, calling the US withdrawal from the landmark pact “unacceptable”.
Rouhani’s comments on Tuesday came shortly after US President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), describing it “defective at its core”.
In response, Rouhani said: “If we achieve the deal’s goals in cooperation with other members of the deal, it will remain in place.
“By exiting the deal, America has officially undermined its commitment to an international treaty.”
“I have ordered the foreign ministry to negotiate with the European countries, China and Russia in coming weeks. If at the end of this short period we conclude that we can fully benefit from the JCPOA with the cooperation of all countries, the deal would remain,” he added.