Iran Vows to ‘Follow N. Korea’ Nuke Pathway After Deal Decertification

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani / Getty Images

 

Iran will not renegotiate landmark accord

Senior Iran leaders praised the North Korean regime this weekend and claimed the Islamic Republic is encouraged to follow Pyongyang’s nuclear pathway following the Trump administration’s decision last week to decertify Iranian compliance with the landmark nuclear agreement.

Iran’s threat to become the next North Korea, which has itself played a longtime and key role in providing the Islamic Republic with nuclear technology and know-how, is likely to set the stage for increased confrontation with the United States following President Donald Trump’s decision to request that Congress reconsider the nuclear agreement to make it far tougher for Iran to continue its military buildup and pursuit of nuclear equipment.

Iran is more likely to follow the North Korean nuclear model—which includes the illicit transfer of nuclear technology and the routine test of this equipment—despite the U.S. decision to remain a party to the nuclear agreement in the short term. Congress now has 60 days to decide whether it will reimpose all economic sanctions on Iran that were lifted by the Obama administration as part of the agreement.

Iranian leaders spent a large portion of the weekend threatening the United States and vowing to “continue the path” to a nuclear weapon as a result of Trump’s decertification and nascent moves by Congress to level a series of harsh new penalties on Iran.

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Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chair of the Iranian parliament’s national security and foreign policy commission, lashed out at Trump early Monday, saying that Iran and other countries will have no choice but to “follow North Korea” as a result of the decertification effort.

“The U.S. president showed by his remarks again that the U.S. government is not trustworthy and the U.S. behavior towards the nuclear deal persuades views of countries like North Korea,” Boroujerdi was quoted as telling his Turkish counterpart during a meeting in Tehran on Monday, according to the country’s state-controlled press organs.

In a separate Monday meeting with a French official, Boroujerdi vowed that Iran would restart its pursuit of nuclear weapons technology if Congress follows through with new sanctions and other penalties.

“If the U.S. Congress decides to violate and abrogates the nuclear deal and its undertakings, the Islamic Republic of Iran will have no motivation to continue the path,” Boroujerdi was quoted as saying.

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Ali Akbar Velayati, the Iranian Supreme Leader’s senior adviser on international affairs, also stated on Monday that Iran would not renegotiate any portion of the JCPOA.

“The nuclear deal will not be renegotiated at all and we will not hold renegotiations,” the top aide was quoted as saying on Monday.

Full article: Iran Vows to ‘Follow N. Korea’ Nuke Pathway After Deal Decertification (Washington Free Beacon)