Iranian president Hassan Rouhani warns US would pay 'high cost' for scrapping nuclear deal
Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian president warned Donald Trump that the US would pay dearly if he scrapped the nuclear deal signed by the Obama administration.
In a wide-ranging interview with CNN, Mr Rouhani also rounded on Mr Trump's diplomacy by Twitter, saying that his tweets were often at odds with other members of his administration.
"And this, by its nature, causes a certain deal of chaos."
Mr Trump has repeatedly threatened to pull out of the agreement Tehran reached with not only the US, but the EU, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia.
Under the agreement, which was signed in Vienna in 2015, Iran agreed to sacrifice two-thirds of its ability to enrich uranium in return for an ending of economic sanctions.
FAQ | Iran nuclear talks
During the election campaign, Mr Trump described the deal as catastrophic, a view which put him on a collision course with America's western allies, including Theresa May, who said the agreement was "vital".
Over the weekend Rex Tillerson, the US secretary of state, said that while Iran was technically complying with the nuclear agreement it was also supporting terrorist groups and backing militias in Yemen and Syria.
Mr Rouhani used the interview to warn the Trump administration of the consequences of pulling out of the deal.
"Exiting such an agreement would have - would carry a high cost for the United States of America," he said.
"I do not believe that Americans would be willing to pay such a high cost for something that will be useless for them."
Reneging on the deal would chip away at international trust placed in the United States of America.
Iran would react within days if Washington scrapped the agreement.
Mr Rouhani said Iran was opposed to nuclear weapons and believed that they should be destroyed throughout the world.
