Iranian president denounces Trump’s disavowal of nuclear deal

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Friday savaged President Trump’s disavowal of the Iran nuclear deal, asserting that the agreement would not be renegotiated and proclaiming the United States more isolated than ever before.

In a televised address on Friday, Rouhani said Tehran remains committed to the agreement, and dismissed the notion that one country could simply revoke the U.N.-based Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the 2015 deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

“The great nation of Iran saw tonight once again that America took a hostile position against an international deal,” Rouhani said, according to a translation provided by Press TV, an English-language news network affiliated with the Iranian government.”

“Once again, the [European Union] also took a firm position against the United States. America is now more than ever isolated,” he continued.

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In decertifying the agreement, Rouhani said, Trump cost the U.S. international credibility, and said that Tehran would not accept any changes to the agreement.

“We will not expect anything else from you from now on. With your incorrect words, you made us more united than ever.”

Trump announced on Friday that he would not recertify Iran’s compliance with the deal, making good on a longtime promise to disavow the deal. But he stopped short of torpedoing the deal altogether, and instead passed to Congress the decision of whether to reimpose nuclear sanctions on Tehran.

He said he would ask Congress to set “trigger points” — limits that would prompt the U.S. to reimpose sanctions if crossed. Congress will have to draft new legislation on the deal that satisfies the president’s demands. Trump threatened to unilaterally withdraw if lawmakers are unable to do so.

Any legislation on the deal would require 60 votes to pass in the Senate, meaning Republicans, with a 52-seat majority, would have to pick up some Democratic support.