US President Donald Trump grudgingly agreed not to reimpose nuclear sanctions on Iran on January 12, 2018, but officials warned that it would be the last time he issues such a waiver. Instead, a senior White House official said, Trump wants Washington's European allies to use the 60-day period before sanctions relief again comes up for renewal to agree on tougher measures. (AFP Photo)
TEHRAN, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry said Saturday that the Islamic republic will never succumb to pressure of the United States to renegotiate the 2015 nuclear deal.
The U.S. President Donald Trump once again had to extend waivers that are mandatory under the deal reached between Iran and world powers, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The solidity of Iran and international support for the agreement have blocked attempts by Trump and Israel to terminate this agreement or make changes to it, said the statement.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran stresses clearly that it will not take any measures beyond its commitment to the JCPOA, nor will it accept changes to this agreement now or any time in the future. It also will not allow the JCPOA to be linked to any other issue," it said.
Trump said on Friday he will extend sanctions relief on Iran under the 2015 nuclear deal for the last time, threatening U.S. withdrawal from the landmark pact unless U.S. Congress and European allies can fix the alleged "disastrous flaws."
Calling it "a last chance," Trump said in a White House statement that his country "will not again waive sanctions in order to stay in the Iran nuclear deal."
Trump has constantly criticized the pact inked between the six world powers, namely China, Russia, Britain, France, the United States and Germany, and Iran in 2015, in which the West promised to relieve sanctions on Tehran in exchange for a halt in Iran's efforts to develop a nuclear weapon.
Under the deal, the U.S. president must sign a waiver suspending the U.S. sanctions on Iran every 120 days.
As Trump agreed to the sanctions relief, U.S. Department of Treasury said on Friday that it has imposed new sanctions on 14 individuals and entities over Iran's alleged human rights abuses and ballistic missile program, including head of Iran's judiciary and the cyber unit of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.