Ayatollah Khamenei: If Trump Tears Up the JCPOA, We Will Shred It

On Wednesday, October 18, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei once again threatened that if the United States "tears up the JCPOA, we will shred it." The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in a meeting with a group of young people described on his website as "scientific elites," referred to recent statements by the U.S. President regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and described Donald Trump as a "mouthless president," stating that he does not want to waste his time "responding to his nonsense and drivel" because, according to Khamenei, "it is a waste of time to respond to him." However, he noted the position of European countries that have asked the U.S. to maintain the JCPOA, saying: "We welcome this amount, but it is not enough to just say he should not tear up the JCPOA. The JCPOA is in their interest. As long as the other party does not tear up the JCPOA, we will not tear it up, but if he tears it up, we will shred it." Ayatollah Khamenei had previously stated on June 15 that if the United States "tears up" the JCPOA, we will burn it. His remarks were a reaction to Trump's statements on Friday, October 13, in which he claimed that based on credible information he had received, he could not confirm Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement. Following the announcement of Iran's non-compliance with the JCPOA by him, the U.S. Congress will have 60 days to decide on imposing new sanctions on Iran. Despite the U.S. government's opposition to the JCPOA, foreign ministers and leaders of European countries have emphasized the importance of maintaining this agreement and have urged the U.S. Congress to support it. In this context, Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, is set to travel to the U.S. to persuade officials to maintain the JCPOA. Nevertheless, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in his remarks on Wednesday, called for more actions from Europeans against the U.S. He stated: "First, Europe must stand against their practical actions; secondly, they must avoid entering our defense issues; if they come and say the same thing about why Iran is present in the region, well, your eyes are blind that it is present; or they say why Iran has missiles; well, why do you have missiles? Why do you have nuclear weapons? We do not accept this from Europeans that they sing along with the U.S. in a bullying tone." The Supreme Leader continued that American officials are "angry" with the Islamic Republic because "today the Islamic Republic has been able to thwart their plans in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Egypt." He also said that "the U.S. President shows foolishness, but this should not make us oblivious to the cunning of America." Khamenei added: "Everyone should be certain that this time America will receive a slap in the face and will be defeated by the Iranian nation." Other officials and media affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran have also reacted to the U.S. President's remarks against the JCPOA in recent days, threatening that Iran will take proportional actions. Hassan Rouhani, the President of the Islamic Republic, stated hours after Trump's speech on October 13 that if one day Iran's interests in the Vienna nuclear agreement are not met and the other party takes action regarding this agreement, the Islamic Republic "will not hesitate for a moment and will respond to it." Donald Trump has repeatedly referred to the July 2015 agreement between Iran and six world powers, including the U.S., as the worst deal he has ever seen, both during his election campaign last year and during his presidency. Although he has confirmed Iran's compliance with the Vienna nuclear agreement twice, he has stated that Iran has not adhered to the "spirit of the JCPOA," citing Tehran's missile program and its disruption of peace and stability in the Middle East through the IRGC's interventions in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq. The U.S. Treasury Department placed the entire IRGC on the sanctions list hours after Trump's speech on Friday.