Rouhani says Iran's commitment to nuclear deal tied to benefits from it

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday that Iran would remain committed to its obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal as long as Iran benefits from the agreement, Tasnim news agency reported.

The Islamic Republic has repeatedly announced that it will not be the first party to withdraw from nuclear deal with six world powers, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Rouhani said at a meeting with the visiting Chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano in the capital Tehran.

A country that has signed an international and multilateral agreement does not have the right to deal with it in whatever way it likes, Rouhani said, referring to the U.S. administration's treatment and interpretation of the deal.

U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this month that the United States could not formally certify Iran's compliance with the nuclear accord. Washington has also demanded inspections of Iran's military sites, which Tehran has rejected.

"We are committed to the JCPOA as long as we can enjoy the benefits mentioned in the deal," Rouhani stressed.

Earlier on Sunday, Amano said that Iran is living up to its commitments under the 2015 international nuclear deal, Tehran Times daily reported.

Amano is in Tehran for talks with the Iranian senior officials focusing on the verification and monitoring of the implementation of the 2015 nuclear agreement.

The IAEA is in charge of monitoring restrictions on Iran's nuclear program under the nuclear agreement. So far the agency has released eight reports each time confirming Iran's adherence to the international nuclear pact.

On Sunday, Rouhani also slammed Washington for what he called its "failure" to live up to its obligations.

He described any call by the United States for renegotiating the agreement as "absurd."

"The administration of a country that violates the international obligations of the previous administration is not trustworthy," he said.

Donald Trump has called the Iran nuclear deal, reached during the former U.S. president Barack Obama administration, "an embarrassment" for the United States and has called for renegotiations over some parts of it.

source: Xinhua