TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that French President Emmanuel Macron’s efforts to save the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, will yield result only if U.S. President Donald Trump lifts sanctions against Iran.

Talking to reporters in New York, Rouhani said, “The continuation of sanctions that have been imposed as maximum pressure means setting preconditions to negotiation by the United States, while we believe that any precondition must be removed before any negotiation.”

He also said, “It is a shame that the basis for accusing Iran of attacking Aramco is simply that they do not want to accept that the Yemeni army has the capability to launch missile and drone strikes.”

The president added, “This means that those who accuse Iran have no realistic estimation of the Yemeni military progresses, and have closed their eyes, relying merely on speculation”.

The president said strikes on the Saudi oil facilities shows the inefficiency of weapons that the U.S. has sold to the Saudi kingdom. 

Rouhani said, “The weakness of American radars and massive defense equipment on the alleged route of these missiles and drones cannot be denied and the Yemenis have in fact humiliated the United States and warned suppliers of weapons to Saudis.”

In 2018, the Saudi military expenditure reached about 70 billion dollars, coming after the United States and China. 

Rouhani also said he was open to discuss small changes, additions or amendments to the JCPOA if the United States lifted sanctions.

“I will be open to discuss small changes, additions or amendments to nuclear deal if sanctions were taken away,” Rouhani said, according to Reuters. 

Trump exited the deal last year and reimposed and toughened sanctions on Iran that were lifted under the pact in return for curbing its nuclear program.

NA/PA