Pulling the United States out of the 2015 nuclear deal would be a "historic regret," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned on Sunday, days ahead of the May 12 deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump to decide the fate of the landmark agreement between Iran and six world powers.
"If [the U.S.] opts to pull out of the nuclear deal, it will soon realize that this decision will become a historic regret for them," Rouhani said, speaking in the city of Sabzevar while on a tour of Iran's Razavi Khorasan province.
Rouhani assured Iranians that "no change will occur in our lives next week" regardless of Trump's decision.
He also said Iran has plans to respond.
"We have plans to resist any decision by Trump on the nuclear accord," he said. "Orders have been issued to our atomic energy organization ... and to the economic sector to confront America's plots against our country."
Iran has faced economic trouble in recent weeks, with some analysts blaming the uncertainty surrounding the accord.
Trump has been a vocal opponent of the 2015 nuclear agreement, which lifted crippling economic sanctions from Iran in exchange for restrictions on Iran's nuclear endeavors.
Trump has said repeatedly that the restrictions outlined in the agreement are too weak and do not actually prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Should he decide to withdraw from the agreement and reimpose U.S. sanctions, the move will render the agreement irrelevant.
Britain, France and Germany remain committed to the nuclear accord but, in an effort to keep the U.S. in it, want to open talks on Iran's ballistic missile program, its nuclear activities beyond 2025 – when key provisions of the deal expire – and its wars in Syria and Yemen. Iranian leaders have repeatedly rejected the idea of reopening the nuclear deal or holding talks on Iran's missile program, which Iran claims is defensive.
"We will not negotiate with anyone about our weapons and defenses, and we will make and store as many weapons, facilities and missiles as we need," Rouhani said in another speech during his visit to the province.
"You [the U.S.] should know that you cannot threaten this great nation because our people withstood eight years of ... defense [in the war with Iraq]. We want to preserve our peaceful nuclear technology for electricity, medicine, agriculture and health ... and we do not seek to threaten the world or the region."
Meanwhile, a senior Israeli intelligence official said on Sunday that Trump, has not told Israel whether he will change or scrap the deal. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes the deal, which he says halts Iran's nuclear capability only temporarily.
The official said Trump shares Israel's skepticism on the deal and expressed hope for new U.S. sanctions, noting the effectiveness of past measures against Iran's banking and oil sectors.
