Khamenei: Iran Won't Respond to US 'Bullying' Over Nuclear Deal
Trump says Iran "violated spirit of the deal"
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Iran will not be subject to "bullying" by the United States over the 2015 nuclear deal it signed with a group of world powers, including the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump has been a frequent critic of the agreement and after taking office has threatened to scrap the deal, which calls for Iran to scale back its nuclear activity to allay fears it is working to develop nuclear weapons, and in exchange get relief from economic sanctions. "The Iranian nation is standing firm and any wrong move by the domineering regime regarding the (nuclear accord) will face the reaction of the Islamic Republic," Khamenei said in an address to police officers Sunday. Iran's President Hassan Rouhani left Sunday for the U.N. General Assembly in New York, where he is expected to speak with world leaders about the deal, which Iran agreed to with the U.S., Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany after extensive negotiations. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation" that he believes Iran is technically in compliance with the agreement, but not acting in the spirit of language in the document that signaled a new approach in relations between Iran and the world. "What we have witnessed is Iran has stepped up its destabilizing activities in Yemen. It's stepped up its destabilizing activities in Syria. It exports arms to Hezbollah and other terrorists groups. And it continues to conduct a very active ballistic missile program," Tillerson said. The agreement says all parties will not take steps to undermine the deal. Iran has issued its own complaints against the U.S., saying the threats of new sanctions or scrapping the agreement amount to a violation of the spirit of the pact. Last Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to take unspecified action against Iran next month, expressing continued dissatisfaction with the agreement. "We are not going to stand for what they are doing to this country," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. "They have violated so many different elements, but they've also violated the spirit of that deal. And you will see what we will be doing in October. It will be very evident." He said, "It is a deal that should have never, ever been made." The United States on Thursday also extended some sanctions relief for Iran under the 2015 nuclear deal. But no decision has been made on whether to preserve the deal itself.