Trump tells Iran threats 'can come back to bite you' in nuclear standoff

[webfact]

Trump tells Iran threats 'can come back to bite you' in nuclear standoff

By Babak Dehghanpisheh

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he as walks on the South Lawn of the White House upon his return to Washington from South Korea, U.S., June 30, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

 

GENEVA (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran on Wednesday against making threats that can "come back to bite you like nobody has been bitten before," after Tehran announced it would breach a 2015 nuclear deal.

 

President Hassan Rouhani announced that after July 7 Iran would enrich uranium beyond a fissile purity of 3.67%, which is the maximum allowed by the deal and a level which is deemed suitable for electricity generation.

 

It is the second time this week that Tehran has announced a measure that undermines the nuclear accord, which has been in trouble since Trump pulled the United States out of it last year.

 

Iran will boost its uranium enrichment after July 7 to whatever levels it needs beyond the cap set in the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday. Rough cut (no reporter narration).

 

"Our level of enrichment will no longer be 3.67. We will put this commitment aside by whatever amount we feel like, by whatever amount is our necessity, our need. We will take this above 3.67," said Rouhani, according to IRIB news agency.

 

Enrichment to 90% yields nuclear bomb-grade material.

 

Trump responded with a post on social media, saying: "Iran has just issued a New Warning. Rouhani says that they will Enrich Uranium to 'any amount we want' if there is no new Nuclear Deal. Be careful with the threats, Iran. They can come back to bite you like nobody has been bitten before!"

 

Experts said Iran has no legitimate use for uranium enriched beyond the level permitted by the deal.

 

“There is no justification,” said Kelsey Davenport of the Arms Control Association, a Washington advocacy organisation.

 

The move, she said, was aimed at increasing pressure on European powers, China and Russia to compensate Iran for the impact of U.S. sanctions reimposed by Trump after he renounced the deal.

 

“These are political decisions to increase leverage. They are no indications that Iran is about to dash to a bomb or pursue nuclear weapons,” Davenport said.

 

Tehran has denied any intent to develop nuclear weapons.

 

Rouhani added that the Islamic Republic's actions were reversible. "All of our actions can be returned to the previous condition within one hour, why are you worried?" he said.

 

TOUGH TONE

His tone was unusually tough. Rouhani was the Iranian architect of the nuclear pact and is seen as a pragmatist, unlike senior clerics in the ruling elite who opposed his opening to the West and have kept up their denunciations of the United States.

 

Rouhani further urged the Trump administration to "adopt a rational approach again" and return to the negotiating table.

 

Weeks of tensions with Washington crested last month when Tehran shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone and Trump responded with a decision to launch air strikes only to call them off at the last minute. Washington also accused Iran of being behind attacks on several oil tankers in the Gulf, which Tehran denies.

 

Iran on Monday said it has amassed more low-enriched uranium than the 300 kg (661 lbs) permitted under the nuclear pact, prompting Trump to warn it was "playing with fire".

 

European nations who are part of the nuclear deal said on Tuesday they were "extremely concerned" by Tehran's stockpiling announcement while Israel said it was preparing for possible involvement in any military confrontation between Iran and the United States.

 

Rouhani said that if the nations in the pact did not protect trade with Iran promised under the deal but blocked by Trump's reimposition of tough sanctions, Tehran would also start to revive its Arak heavy-water reactor after July 7.

 

As required by the accord, Iran said in January 2016 that it had removed the core of the reactor and filled it with cement.

 

"From (July 7) onward with the Arak reactor, if you don't operate (according to) the programme and time frame of all the commitments you've given us, we will return the Arak reactor to its previous condition," said Rouhani.

 

"Meaning, the condition that you say is dangerous and can produce plutonium," he said, referring to a key potential component of a nuclear bomb. "We will return to that unless you take action regarding all your commitments regarding Arak."

 

He kept the door open to negotiations, saying Iran would again reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium below the 300-kg limit set by the pact if Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China honoured their deal pledges.

 

Iran will gain nothing by departing from the terms of the deal, the French foreign ministry cautioned on Wednesday.

 

"Putting (the deal) into question will only increase the already heightened tensions in the region," ministry spokesman Agnes von der Muhll told reporters in a daily briefing.

 

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have escalated since Trump pulled Washington out of the pact in May 2018 and acted to bar all international sales of Iranian oil, the Islamic Republic's economic lifeblood.

 

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif denies that Iran is in violation of the nuclear accord by exceeding the cap on low-enriched uranium, saying Iran is exercising its right to respond after the U.S. withdrawal.

 

The nuclear accord lifted most global sanctions against Iran in return for curbs on its uranium enrichment capacity.

 

It aimed to extend the time Tehran would need to produce a nuclear bomb, if it chose to, from roughly 2-3 months to a year.

 

Iran's main demand - in talks with the European parties to the deal and as a precondition to any talks with the United States - is to be allowed to sell its oil at the levels that prevailed before Trump left the deal and restored sanctions.

 

(Additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Dubai, John Irish and Sudip Kar-Gupta in Paris, Jonathan Landay and David Alexander in Washington; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Alistair Bell)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-07-04

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

[Tug]

Donald you broke the agreement not Iran that frees them to do as they please and they can look to n Korea as an example little Kim threatened to burn us alive exploded nukes tested perfected refined icbms to threaten us and the region as you gave away the farm for nothing now you say you are (in love) dude they are laughing at you as is the rest of the world

[bristolboy]

What Trump typically doesn't understand is that when it comes to threats, it's not only Iran's that can come back to bite.

[ezzra]

Trash talk for a trash talk, Iran has forever been chanting death to America, death to Israel vowing armageddon and total annihilation, now there's a president, who's crazy enough to talk the iranian language and put them on notice...

[bristolboy]

1 minute ago, ezzra said:

Trash talk for a trash talk, Iran has forever been chanting death to America, death to Israel vowing armageddon and total annihilation, now there's a president, who's crazy enough to talk the iranian language and put them on notice...

But apparently crazy in a very pacific sort of way. His backing down on a retaliatory strike must have terrified the Iranians. Even more terrifying was his actual explicit thanking of them for not shooting down an plane with Americans in it but instead shooting down a drone. Has any American president ever before thanked a country for shooting down x instead of y?

 

Trump is in pickle here. As Tucker Carlson pointed out, a shooting war wouldn't be good for Trump's election chances. Which brings us back to the topic of threats coming back to bite their author.

[Tug]

1 minute ago, ezzra said:

Trash talk for a trash talk, Iran has forever been chanting death to America, death to Israel vowing armageddon and total annihilation, now there's a president, who's crazy enough to talk the iranian language and put them on notice...

Ezra we all know Iran is a bad actor my point being is all they have to do is look at n Korea to see how to deal with Donald let us all hope for peace and progress

[BestB]

16 minutes ago, Tug said:

Donald you broke the agreement not Iran that frees them to do as they please and they can look to n Korea as an example little Kim threatened to burn us alive exploded nukes tested perfected refined icbms to threaten us and the region as you gave away the farm for nothing now you say you are (in love) dude they are laughing at you as is the rest of the world

Yes it frees them, only then they can not expect for EU to continue trading or helping them and expect for EU to join in on all the current and future sanctions. 

 

I believe even Russia may not like the idea .

 

One might say they are digging their own grave 

[Thailand]

Trump is going to scare Iran (not) by showing off his big boy toys today. Wonder if he will wear a uniform with medals when he takes the salute at the march past.

[Tug]

6 minutes ago, BestB said:

Yes it frees them, only then they can not expect for EU to continue trading or helping them and expect for EU to join in on all the current and future sanctions. 

 

I believe even Russia may not like the idea .

 

One might say they are digging their own grave 

Hey you are right maybe the eu will start buying their oil then the sanctions won’t matter then Donald will have a tantrum and start raising tariffs on eu stuff so us tax payers can pay more!and wreck more markets for the farmers! 

[bristolboy]

9 minutes ago, BestB said:

Yes it frees them, only then they can not expect for EU to continue trading or helping them and expect for EU to join in on all the current and future sanctions. 

 

I believe even Russia may not like the idea .

 

One might say they are digging their own grave 

All the current signatories have the right to take Iran to adjutication over this. So far, they don't seem in the least inclined to do so. In fact, even the UK is trying to find a way to work around Trump's sanctions. They know who is really responsible for this situation.

[BestB]

12 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

All the current signatories have the right to take Iran to adjutication over this. So far, they don't seem in the least inclined to do so. In fact, even the UK is trying to find a way to work around Trump's sanctions. They know who is really responsible for this situation.

So far they have not because so far iran has not breached the terms of the contract which EU also signed 

 

who is responsible has little to do with Iran enriching weapons grade and you might find even UK might have a problem with it

 

there is no adjudication and no where to take Iran , even less so when Iran openly stated this is what it does or will do. 

[Puchaiyank]

Iran has been invading middle eastern countries for centuries...they, Persia, ransacked the Jewish state before the time of Christ...enslaved those they did not kill...cut off the legs of the craftsmen so they could not flee their country...

 

Armed with nuclear weapons...what could possibly go wrong?

[SteveStevens]

Wars require allies, but cheat'n Don the Con has burned all his bridges.  It was just a matter of time before the villain's antics caught up with him.

[SteveStevens]

17 minutes ago, Puchaiyank said:

Iran has been invading middle eastern countries for centuries...they, Persia, ransacked the Jewish state before the time of Christ...enslaved those they did not kill...cut off the legs of the craftsmen so they could not flee their country...

 

Armed with nuclear weapons...what could possibly go wrong?

Would you care to compare the death toll and destruction caused by the US with that of Iran post WWII?

[Puchaiyank]

5 minutes ago, SteveStevens said:

Would you care to compare the death toll and destruction caused by the US with that of Iran post WWII?

I'm waiting to compare the US initiated destruction after WWII to China from 2150 - 2200...????

[billd766]

2 hours ago, Puchaiyank said:

Iran has been invading middle eastern countries for centuries...they, Persia, ransacked the Jewish state before the time of Christ...enslaved those they did not kill...cut off the legs of the craftsmen so they could not flee their country...

 

Armed with nuclear weapons...what could possibly go wrong?

 

Interesting piece of history. Did you forget the Romans, the saracens, the christian crusaders etc. Just some more interesting and totally irrelevant rubbish as was your post. 

 

Well I wonder which country has been invading the most middle eastern countries plus Asian countries since 1947? 

 

How about Persia in the 1940s and 50s when the USA achieved regime changes. Or Iraq, twice, Afghanistan, Vietnam Libya etc which is much closer to modern day history. How about being the only country in the world to actually use nuclear weapons?

 

Armed with the terrible troika of Bolton, Pompeo and Trump.... What could possibly go wrong indeed?

 

Perhaps it could be the USA

[habanero]

4 hours ago, bristolboy said:

But apparently crazy in a very pacific sort of way. His backing down on a retaliatory strike must have terrified the Iranians. Even more terrifying was his actual explicit thanking of them for not shooting down an plane with Americans in it but instead shooting down a drone. Has any American president ever before thanked a country for shooting down x instead of y?

 

Trump is in pickle here. As Tucker Carlson pointed out, a shooting war wouldn't be good for Trump's election chances. Which brings us back to the topic of threats coming back to bite their author.

The day after Trump is re elected, Iran will cease to exist.

[Thailand]

5 hours ago, Thailand said:

Trump is going to scare Iran (not) by showing off his big boy toys today. Wonder if he will wear a uniform with medals when he takes the salute at the march past.

 

[bristolboy]

27 minutes ago, habanero said:

The day after Trump is re elected, Iran will cease to exist.

In other words he recognizes that attacking Iran would lose him the election.

[parallaxtech]

Donald you broke the agreement not Iran that frees them to do as they please and they can look to n Korea as an example little Kim threatened to burn us alive exploded nukes tested perfected refined icbms to threaten us and the region as you gave away the farm for nothing now you say you are (in love) dude they are laughing at you as is the rest of the world

 

 

What agreement?  There never was a signed agreement, even according to your hero, Obama:

 

The Obama administration has disclosed to Congress that this summer's controversial nuclear arms agreement with Iran was never signed and is not legally binding, according to a new report this week.

The State Department made the disclosures in a letter to Kansas congressman Mike Pompeo, a Republican, who had written the department to inquire why the agreement as submitted to Congress in July did not bear the signature of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

'The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is not a treaty or an executive agreement, and is not a signed document,' Julia Frifield, an assistant secretary for legislative affairs wrote Pompeo last Thursday.

 

So, at least Trump is trying to get an agreement instead of just bribing the mullahs.

[bristolboy]

2 hours ago, BestB said:

So far they have not because so far iran has not breached the terms of the contract which EU also signed 

 

who is responsible has little to do with Iran enriching weapons grade and you might find even UK might have a problem with it

 

there is no adjudication and no where to take Iran , even less so when Iran openly stated this is what it does or will do. 

"So far they have not because so far iran has not breached the terms of the contract which EU also signed"

Huh?

[bristolboy]

5 hours ago, BestB said:

there is no adjudication and no where to take Iran , even less so when Iran openly stated this is what it does or will do. 

Really? An agreement with no means of dispute resolution? Pull me another one.

Explainer: The Iran nuclear deal

DISPUTE RESOLUTION & SNAP-BACK
Joint Commission	Comprised of representatives of Iran and the E3+3, with the EU High Representative. Coordination led by EU High Representative. Meet on quarterly basis or at request of any JCPOA participant....	Established from Finalisation date

https://www.ecfr.eu/article/iran_explainer3070

 

[BestB]

1 hour ago, bristolboy said:

Really? An agreement with no means of dispute resolution? Pull me another one.

Explainer: The Iran nuclear deal

DISPUTE RESOLUTION & SNAP-BACK
Joint Commission	Comprised of representatives of Iran and the E3+3, with the EU High Representative. Coordination led by EU High Representative. Meet on quarterly basis or at request of any JCPOA participant....	Established from Finalisation date

https://www.ecfr.eu/article/iran_explainer3070

 

Stop posting nonsense, what dispute resolution? who will be the arbitrator?

 

Its called negotiations most certainly not some imaginary dispute resolution arbitration.

 

[BestB]

1 hour ago, bristolboy said:

"So far they have not because so far iran has not breached the terms of the contract which EU also signed"

Huh?

EU gravely concerned over Iran’s breach of nuclear deal

Foreign ministers of U.K., Germany and France urge Iran to avoid undermining agreement

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/eu-gravely-concerned-over-iran-s-breach-of-nuclear-deal/1521729

[bristolboy]

28 minutes ago, BestB said:

Stop posting nonsense, what dispute resolution? who will be the arbitrator?

 

Its called negotiations most certainly not some imaginary dispute resolution arbitration.

 

So, according to you, agreements between nations never have dispute resolution clauses. I give yo absolute proof it exists and you say no. The negotiations are over. If any of the parties takes it to the dispute resolution stage then there is procedure for deciding if Iran is in violation or not. Iran doesn't get to renegotiate. That said, so far none of the signatories seems in a hurry to get some thing done about it because they recognize the responsibility of the US for this crisis.

[bristolboy]

30 minutes ago, BestB said:

EU gravely concerned over Iran’s breach of nuclear deal

Foreign ministers of U.K., Germany and France urge Iran to avoid undermining agreement

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/eu-gravely-concerned-over-iran-s-breach-of-nuclear-deal/1521729

So you're not the person who wrote this?

"So far they have not because so far iran has not breached the terms of the contract which EU also signed"

 

[Morch]

8 hours ago, Tug said:

Donald you broke the agreement not Iran that frees them to do as they please and they can look to n Korea as an example little Kim threatened to burn us alive exploded nukes tested perfected refined icbms to threaten us and the region as you gave away the farm for nothing now you say you are (in love) dude they are laughing at you as is the rest of the world

 

If Iran wants "to do as they please" it means that the agreement is nullified. There are consequences to that, like most previous sanctions (the international version, that is) being reapplied (search "snap back" in this context). 

 

Punctuation marks would be welcome, thanks.

[Morch]

7 hours ago, ezzra said:

Trash talk for a trash talk, Iran has forever been chanting death to America, death to Israel vowing armageddon and total annihilation, now there's a president, who's crazy enough to talk the iranian language and put them on notice...

 

And having a president who emulates such ways is desirable, because....?

[bristolboy]

3 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

If Iran wants "to do as they please" it means that the agreement is nullified. There are consequences to that, like most previous sanctions (the international version, that is) being reapplied (search "snap back" in this context). 

 

Punctuation marks would be welcome, thanks.

Except, oddly enough, the remaining signatories seem oddly reluctant to do so. Which doesn't exactly square with your suggestionss that support for Iran is tepid because they are regarded as a bad actor in the region.

[BestB]

8 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

So, according to you, agreements between nations never have dispute resolution clauses. I give yo absolute proof it exists and you say no. The negotiations are over. If any of the parties takes it to the dispute resolution stage then there is procedure for deciding if Iran is in violation or not. Iran doesn't get to renegotiate. That said, so far none of the signatories seems in a hurry to get some thing done about it because they recognize the responsibility of the US for this crisis.

The UK, France and Germany are expected to issue a formal response. The three have the option of referring Iran’s decision to an appeals body set up by the signatories to the deal, which could take up to two months to examine the dispute before Europe could reimpose sanctions that were lifted in 2015.

But the Iran deal is not an international treaty with the force of law, so either side could take unilateral steps without direct legal consequence.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/01/iran-breaks-nuclear-deal-and-puts-pressure-on-eu-over-sanctions