Iran’s president warns Trump: Exiting nuclear deal ‘would carry a high cost’

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned Tuesday that a decision by President Trump to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal would “carry a high cost” to the United States’ international credibility.

“The exiting of the United States from such an agreement would carry a high cost, meaning that subsequent to such an action by the United States of America, no one will trust America again,” Rouhani told NBC’s Lester Holt in an interview set to air later Tuesday.

Trump has long railed against the nuclear deal — known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) — calling it “one of the worst deals” the U.S. has ever entered into. 

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The United Nations-backed agreement between Iran and six other countries — the U.S., the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany — is intended to curb Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

Rouhani argued that the nuclear deal was subjected to close scrutiny by all the countries that signed onto it and that if Trump moved to withdraw from the deal, it would send a signal to the world that the U.S. is unreliable.

“Every word was analyzed many times by countries involved before its ratification, so if the United States were to not adhere to the commitments and trample upon this agreement, this will mean that it will carry with it the lack of subsequent trust from countries towards the United States because the greatest capital that any country has is trust and credibility,” he said. 

Since taking office, Trump has twice certified Iran’s compliance with the deal. But he must say by Oct. 15 whether Iran is in violation of the JCPA, and he has signaled recently that he might not recertify the deal.

In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump blasted the nuclear deal as “an embarrassment,” and said the U.S. could not support an agreement that “provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program.”

“The Iran deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into,” he said. “Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States and I don’t think you have heard the last of it, believe me.”

If Trump declines to recertify Iran’s compliance, he would pave the way for new sanctions against Iran. 

Rouhani suggested in an interview with CNN that aired Monday that a U.S. withdrawal from the pact would damage its credibility, adding that he did not think Washington would be willing to take such a risk.

“I do not believe Americans would be willing to pay such a high cost for something that will be useless for them,” he said.