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Iran Nuclear Deal: US Warned Of 'Retaliation' Over Sanctions
Iran has warned that it will retaliate if the US breaches its nuclear deal by extending sanctions for 10 years.
The agreement, which enforced restrictions on Iran's nuclear programme in return for alleviating sanctions, was made last year.
But President-elect Donald Trump has previously said he would "rip up" the deal, drawing a harsh reaction from Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who said Iran would "set fire" to it were that the case.
Speaking on Wednesday, Reuters quoted Khamenei as saying:
"The current US government has breached the nuclear deal on many occasions. The latest is an extension of sanctions for 10 years, that if it happens, would surely be against JCPOA [another name for the agreement], and the Islamic Republic would definitely react to it."
The US House of Representatives re-authorised the Iran Sanctions Act for 10 years last week, although it will expire at the end of the year if it is not renewed. It still has to be passed by the Senate and signed by current President Barack Obama to become law.
The act was first adopted in 1996 to punish investment into Iran's energy industry and discourage Iran's attempts to acquire nuclear weapons.
The House of Representatives, meanwhile, also passed a bill that would block the sale of Boeing and Airbus commercial aircraft to Iran last week, although the White House believes it would violate the nuclear pact, and has said Mr Obama would veto it if it passed the Senate.
Cover photo courtesy of Hosein Velayati.
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