During a press conference with reporters from the domestic and international media, Dr Hassan Rouhani outlined the positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran on regional and international issues, while outlining the main issues of the country.

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He also commented on a question about Irans possible response in case of US decision to amend the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by saying: "I am very glad that after a year at the White House, Mr Trump has not yet been able to achieve the goal he pursued and what he shouted during the presidential campaign that he would tear up the deal and the JCPOA is so strong that it has been able to survive against the US for one year now".

Dr Rouhani said: "What the US will do in the future, we do not know, even their European friends dont know what he wants to do. That is, no one anticipates what the US government is going to do in the future about Iran and the JCPOA".

The president emphasised: "We have principles and we continue on the basis of our principles. Firstly, as we have repeatedly emphasised, we will not be the first country to violate it, and nothing will be added or removed from it. What Mr Trump wants is his own business. But not a single line will be added or removed from the JCPOA".

Dr Rouhani continued, "We do not consider anything else related to the JCPOA; it is a seven-party commitment and seven countries have agreed on it".

"The mistake Mr Trump is making is that he thinks that the JCPOA is the commitment that the democrats have made, while it is the governments commitment, regardless of the administration," said the president.

This commitment is lasting and the United States government is committed to it today, said Rouhani adding: "If the United States breaks it, this will undermine its commitment and credibility; of course, we will have possible reactions for the future but we will adhere to it as long as it has benefits for us".

Stating that everybody believes that the current US administration is after interruption with all its might but how much it can do this is under question, the president said: "One of the instances of the US efforts in this regard is that it tried to turn the protests into an international and security issue by taking it to the UNSC, in the meeting of which all countries opposed it".

"We should not think that because the US has decided to put pressure on Iran, so we will be under pressure; this is not the case. The Americans pursue this decision and we will stand against them decisively," he continued.

The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran also went on to say: "In economy, Americans have always sought sanctions and pressure, and they continue to do so, and they may increase or decrease the pressure".

"But our relations with the European Union today, even compared to before 2005, is better than ever. Today we have very good relations; our relations with Russia may be better than ever; our relations with China are good and we have good relations with most countries in the region," added Rouhani.

He continued: "Things in the region has gone as we wanted. We wanted to undermine terrorism but the Americans did not want it, and failed in Syria and Iraq. Today, they have plans for Syria that, in my opinion, will fail too".

Answering a question about the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)s renegotiation, he said: "As we have repeatedly emphasised before, the JCPOA is not renegotiable or rewritable; it is an agreement that was made after 30 months of efforts and approved by the United Nations Security Council so it has turned into an international agreement".

"Regarding defence capabilities of our country, we will provide and strengthen everything that we need to defend the country, such as aircraft, missiles and submarines. Of course, our commitment to the world is that we will not seek weapons of mass destruction, not only because of our commitment, but also because of the fatwa of the Supreme Leader," added Rouhani.

"Our missiles are designed for defending our country, not to be used as weapons of mass destruction," said the president, emphasising that "Irans missiles are not made for invasive purposes and will not be used to invade any country, so we do not negotiate with anyone about it".

The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran also said: "If the Americans were to live up to all their commitments in the JCPOA good conditions would have been created and perhaps it was possible to discuss other issues with them, but unfortunately, they themselves have lost this golden opportunity".

Dr Rouhani said: "I have always stressed that the key to the future of Iran-US relations is in Washingtons hands. They should stop their actions, pressures, sanctions and threats".

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