Hassan Rouhani
Hassan RouhaniReuters

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday lashed out at U.S. President Donald Trump as he ruled out any changes or additions to the 2015 nuclear deal between his country and Western powers, reports The Associated Press.

French President Emmanuel Macron suggested during a visit to Washington on Tuesday that there could be a way to move toward a “new agreement” that would address Trump’s concerns about the Iran deal's so-called "sunset clauses", as well as Iran’s ballistic missile program and involvement in Middle East conflicts.

Rouhani appeared to throw cold water on those efforts Wednesday, saying, according to AP, “I have spoken with Macron several times by phone, and one time in person at length. I have told him explicitly that we will not add anything to the deal or remove anything from it, even one sentence. The nuclear deal is the nuclear deal."

“As long as our interests are guaranteed we will remain in the deal, whether the U.S. remains or not,” Rouhani said, adding that “if our benefits are not guaranteed, we will not remain in the deal, no matter what the circumstances are.”

He then blasted Trump and said, “You have no clue about politics, no clue about the law or international treaties. You are just a businessman, a tradesman. You are a tower builder. How is he going to pass judgment on international issues?”

Rouhani dismissed Trump’s threats on Tuesday that the Iranians “will have bigger problems than they’ve ever had before” if they restart their nuclear program.

“Mr. Trump thinks that it is just hot air when we say that if the nuclear deal falls apart, we will restart (our nuclear program) at a new speed which will be shocking to them. His threats are empty,” said the Iranian President.

Trump, who has blasted the 2015 nuclear deal as “the worst deal ever negotiated”, in January decided to extend a waiver on nuclear sanctions that were imposed on Iran but gave the European signatories a May 12 deadline to “fix the terrible flaws” of the deal or he would pull out.

Seeking to respond to Trump’s criticism of the nuclear accord and Tehran more broadly, France, Britain and Germany proposed directing sanctions at Iranian “militias and commanders” fighting on behalf of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

They hoped holding Iran accountable for this could help convince Trump not to walk away from the nuclear agreement. However, they ran into opposition by Italy, backed by Austria.