TEHRAN (Web Desk) – Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Tuesday threatened to “set fire” to the nuclear deal brokered with world powers if U.S. presidential candidates backed out of it.
“The Islamic Republic won’t be the first to violate the nuclear deal. Staying faithful to a promise is a Koranic order,” Khamenei said, according to state media. “But if the threat from the American presidential candidates to tear up the deal becomes operational then the Islamic Republic will set fire to the deal,” he added.
Iran can expect a shift in relations with the United States to a more aggressive posture under a Republican president. Presumptive Republican standard bearer Donald Trump said last August that it would be hard to “rip up” the deal, but if elected president he would “police that contract so tough they don’t have a chance”.
Hillary Clinton, who Obama has endorsed to succeed him, also expressed the same views that Iran still posed a threat to Israel and needed to be closely watched.
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According to details, Khamenei in a high-level meeting with senior officials including President Hassan Rouhani did not identify any candidate and said he did not see a difference between Democrats and Republicans.
The United States and Europe lifted sanctions on Tehran in January under the deal that curbed Iran’s nuclear program. However, some restrictions have remained intact.
Khamenei noted that sanctions had not been completely lifted, nor had issues with Iranian banks been resolved. He also said that Iranian money frozen in other countries had not been returned. Moreover, the issue of insurance for oil tankers had not been resolved.
Khamenei said Iran had met its obligations by halting the enrichment of uranium at 20 percent and shutting down nuclear facilities in Fordow and Arak.
