TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif threatened on Monday that Tehran will give a “strong response” if the U.S. ditches the 2015 nuclear deal, noting it will be “unpleasant” for Washington.

President Hassan Rouhani also warned on Sunday that the U.S. will suffer “historic remorse” if it quits the international nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 

“As the president said yesterday (Sunday), the U.S. will definitely face the Islamic Republic of Iran’s strong response if it ditches the JCPOA. This issue has been repeatedly said over the past weeks and given the plans considered, Iran’s response will not be pleasant for the U.S. at all,” Zarif told ICANA.

The foreign minister said Iran has various options if the U.S. withdraws from the JCPOA. However, he said, the final decision will be taken after the U.S. move on May 12.

The chief diplomat added the U.S. will be isolated if it quits the multilateral nuclear agreement, insisting that pullout from the agreement will not be benefit Washington.

He also said Iran is prepared to offset negative effects of a U.S. pullout from the agreement on people’s lives. 

Elsewhere, Zarif said, “During my trip to New York [in April], I held talks with various political intellects who participated in the nuclear negotiations to tell them the realities.”

“The reality is that the Islamic Republic has respected the JCPOA…, but the U.S. has not been committed to the JCPOA which proves that it cannot be trusted,” he added.

U.S. President Donald Trump is to decide on May 12 whether to stay in the multilateral agreement or not.

Iran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the U.S., UK, France, Russia, and China - Germany and the European Union struck the nuclear deal in July 2015. The deal took effect in January 2016.

Since the nuclear deal went into effect, the International Atomic Energy Agency has issued 10 reports each time confirming that Iran has been honoring its commitments.

NA/PA