Hassan Rouhani Discusses the Fate of the Iran Nuclear Deal

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: So, what will bring you back to negotiating with the United States? I’m saying that because the U.S. says that we need to renegotiate, we need to open the Iran nuclear deal known as the JCPOA. That Mr. Trump, Mr. Pompeo, others have said, “We do want to negotiate with the Iranian, but Iran has to change its behavior.” What do you say to that?

HASSAN ROUHANI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Well, you see, after many years of negotiation and dialogue, a consensus was reached, an agreement was reached between the seven countries. And it was agreed upon by the leadership of those seven countries involved, subsequent to which in the United Nations Security Council, it was approved under formal resolution 2231. So, no one has the right to unilaterally exit such an agreement without just cause and cannot violate a United Nations Security Council resolution. Therefore, the United States government deviated on a path during the past few months and it must return from that deviated path to the previous point, to the point of departure. And there will be the point where we can talk about as to whether this agreement is being implemented well. This is not the time to talk about anything else, to hold a dialogue about anything else prior to the proper and precise implementation of the previous agreement that was reached.

AMANPOUR: Do you believe that the United States is after regime change to overthrow the government, the system in Iran? I ask you because just before as you arrived here in the U.S., two of President Trump’s closest advisers said two different things. Rudolph Giuliani said that whether it’s in two days, two months, two years, the regime in Iran will be overthrown. And then Nikki Haley, the U.N. ambassador, said, “We are not in the business of regime change.” Do you think the sanctions and President Trump’s policy is aimed at regime change in your country?

ROUHANI (through translator): Perhaps many in the United States during the past had such wishes. To be dealing with a regime in Iran that would be completely beholden to the United States as there was the case prior to the Islamic revolution. But such an objective was never be reached and it will never be reached until such time that the Iranian government rises from the will of the people in result of the ballot box