Iran has “total disregard” for the United States, says President Donald Trump, repeating his rhetoric against the nuclear deal between Tehran and the world powers, including Washington.
The accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is “the worst deal I’ve ever seen negotiated,” he said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday.
Since he started campaigning for the 2016 presidential election, the New York billionaire has on several occasions spoken ill of the JCPOA, giving promises ranging from an immediate repealing of the deal to renegotiating it.
His Sunday appearance still left the “door open,” as Fox News put it on its headline.
“We’ll see what happens,” Trump said.
The new president also parroted the anti-Iran rhetoric, promoted by the GOP and his cabinet members, accusing Tehran of supporting terrorism.
“They’re sending money all over the place and weapons, and you can’t do that,” he said. “That deal, I would have lived with it if they said, OK we’re all together now. But it was just the opposite, it’s like they’re emboldened.”
According to American author and radio host, Stephen Lendman, the new administration’s anti-Iran rhetoric is “very concerning” and may become “belligerent” at some point.
In a reaction to the anti-Iran rhetoric, Es’haq Jahangiri, Iran’s first vice president, said Saturday that the “nation and authorities do not attach the least value to these remarks.”
Under JCPOA, Iran accepted to put limitations on its program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has so far remained committed to the 2015 nuclear deal, also involving Russia, the UK, Germany, China and France.