Khamenei: Iran will 'shred' nuclear deal

Iran has threatened to pull out of its nuclear agreement with Western powers if the Trump administration does.

Iran's leader says the country may rip up its deal with the US.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says they may rip up the nuclear deal with the US. (AAP)

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday Tehran would stick to its 2015 nuclear accord with world powers as long as the other signatories respected it, but would "shred" the deal if Washington pulled out, state TV reported.

Khamenei spoke five days after US President Donald Trump adopted a harsh new approach to Iran by refusing to certify its compliance with the deal, reached under Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, and saying he might ultimately terminate it.

"I don't want to waste my time on answering the rants and whoppers of the brute president," Khamenei said in a speech to students in Tehran quoted by state television.

"Trump's stupidity should not distract us from America's deceitfulness ... if the U.S. tears up the deal, we will shred it."

Trump's move put Washington at odds with other parties to the accord - Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and the European Union.

Khamenei, who has the final say on Iran's state matters, welcomed their support but said it was not sufficient.

"European states stressed their backing for the deal and condemned Trump ... We welcomed this, but it is not enough to ask Trump not to rip up the agreement. Europe needs to stand against practical measures (taken) by America."

Under the deal, Iran agreed to curb its disputed uranium enrichment program in return for relief from international sanctions that crippled its economy.

UN nuclear inspectors have repeatedly certified Tehran's compliance with the terms.

Trump accuses Iran of supporting terrorism and says the 2015 deal does not do enough to block its path to acquire nuclear weapons.

Iran says it does not seek nuclear arms and in turn blames the growth of militant groups such as Islamic State on the policies of the United States and its regional allies.

"They must avoid interfering in our defence program ... We do not accept that Europe sings along with America's bullying and its unreasonable demands," Khamenei said.

"They (Europeans) ask why does Iran have missiles? Why do you have missiles yourselves? Why do you have nuclear weapons?"


Share
Published 18 October 2017 11:16pm
Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world