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Iran says to respond firmly to US threats no matter what

Saturday, 22 June 2019 10:05 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 22 June 2019 11:24 AM ]

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi

Iran says it will not allow any incursions by the United States into its borders regardless of the response that may come from Washington.

The remarks by Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi on Saturday came after US President Donald Trump claimed that he had aborted military strikes on Iran for downing an American spy drone.

"Regardless of any decision they make, we will not allow a violation of the Islamic Republic's borders and are ready to confront any threat against the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Mousavi said.

"Our decisions do not hinge on their decisions and we will confront any incursion - whether it comes with threats or not," he added.

On Thursday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) shot down an intruding RQ-4A Global Hawk surveillance drone belonging to the US Navy over Iran's southern coastal province of Hormozgan.

The following day, the elite military force put into display the wreckage of the American spy drone, which had been retrieved from Iran's territorial waters.

PressTV-Iran releases first photos of US drone's wreckage

Iran releases first photos of the wreckage of a US spy drone which was shot down on Thursday.

In a tweet early on Friday, Trump said that he had initially approved military strikes against Iran, but pulled back just 10 minutes before the attack.

....On Monday they shot down an unmanned drone flying in International Waters. We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die. 150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it, not....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2019

Iran to reduce nuclear deal commitments

Mousavi also said Iran will "firmly" take the second step in suspending some of its commitments under a 2015 multilateral nuclear deal if the remaining signatories fail to fulfill their promises.

After Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) last year, the remaining parties asked Tehran to stick to the agreement and vowed to honor their own obligations, he said.

"Over the past year, however, they could not or did not want to comply with their commitments," Mousavi said. He warned that if the remaining sides keep on repeating their hollow "promises", Iran will take necessary measures suiting its situation.

On May 8, Iran stopped exporting excess uranium and heavy water for a 60-day period, during which the remaining sides would have to ensure that Iran is no more deprived of the economic benefits it was promised under the accord.

Iran also made it clear that it would consider a broad range of options, including leaving the deal, if its demands are not met at the end of the two-month period.

Earlier this week, Iran announced that it will surpass the uranium stockpile limit set under the nuclear deal from June 27, warning the European signatories that there was not much time for them to save the JCPOA.

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