Iran asks Europe not to repeal the nuclear deal, warns of consequences

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has urged the European powers not to follow the United States' path by repealing the 2015 nuclear deal and has assured that Iran would not seek nuclear weapons whether or not the deal survives.

The US wanted to economically squeeze Iran by unilaterally withdrawing from the deal in 2018 and imposed economic sanctions on the Islamic nation. Trump wanted the European nations to do the same whereas Iran wanted to maintain the deal.

READ | Trump Minimizes Severity Of Head Injuries In Iran Attacks

Dispute mechanism in place

European nations such as The United Kingdom, France and Germany have maintained that they want to preserve the deal. However, they have launched a dispute mechanism this month on the 2015 nuclear deal holding Iran responsible for violation of the deal which had lost its significance after the US' withdrawal.

With the launch of the dispute mechanism, it would set in motion the process that could ultimately see the United Nations reimpose sanctions on Iran, resulting in the death of the nuclear deal eventually.

READ | Canada, Iran Divided Over Who Should Examine Downed Airliner's Black Boxes

After the killing of Iran military general Qassem Soleimani and military retaliation, Iran on January 5 threatened that it would no longer adhere to the restrictions of the deal, however now it has come down to negotiations with the European powers to salvage the nuclear deal.

READ | Iranian Lawmaker Announces $3 Million Reward To 'whoever Kills Trump': Report

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on his official website on Wednesday that the United States had made a mistake by quitting the 2015 pact.

“Do you want to make the same mistake? ... I am emphasizing that if the Europeans make a mistake and violate the deal, they will be responsible for the consequences of their actions," read the Iranian President's statement.

However, after French President Macron's trip to Israel, France has vowed to take a tough stand against Iran and is determined that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon and expressed the urgent need for military de-escalation in the region.

READ | Iran Acknowledges Russian-made Missiles Targeted Ukraine Jet