Rouhani: Iran won’t give up its right to export oil

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Tehran does not seek to escalate regional tensions or to cause any problem for international waterways but will not give up its right to export oil.

Speaking during a meeting with new British Ambassador to Tehran, Rob Macaire, Rouhani described the United States’ withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement as “unlawful” pointing out that the ball is now in Europe’s court.

He went on to condemn failures to fully implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) agreement in the commercial, economic and banking sectors and said: “Today, we are in a very critical point in history regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and Europe’s transparent measures to compensate for the US’ unlawful withdrawal from the deal is very important for the Iranian nation.”

Tension between Iran and the United States increased after US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the deal in May and to re-impose economic sanctions on Tehran.

Read: US says pushing allies to halt Iran oil imports, no exceptions