Iran Rejects Trump's Demands to Change 2015 Nuclear Deal

The European countries which signed on, including the U.K., France, and Germany urged the US to stay in on Thursday, claiming that Iran has been holding up its side of the bargain since the deal was signed.

Trump said:"This is a last chance".

On Friday, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter Mr Trump's decision undermined the multilateral agreement.

"Either fix the deal's disastrous flaws, or the United States will withdraw", he said.

The Treasury Department also announced 14 new sanctions designations on Iran, including against entities in its aviation sector, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps cyber units and the head of Iran's judiciary.

The White House faced a series of deadlines related to the deal on Friday, most importantly, whether to renew or terminate a waiver for sanctions on Iran's central bank and energy sector.

Iran Rejects Trump's Demands to Change 2015 Nuclear Deal

"The United States will not stand by while the Iranian regime continues to engage in human rights abuses and injustice. It's a campaign that we have carried on since October", referring to Trump's decision not to certify that Tehran is meeting the terms of a pact to stop it developing nuclear weapons.

In a statement, Trump says the USA will would work with European partners to resolve flaws in the nuclear deal by trying to negotiate a follow-up agreement. It is also critical that the U.S. remains part of the deal, they said.

The president charged that Iran has gotten "far too much in exchange for far too little", and threatened not to renew the waivers when the next approval period comes.

"Fourth, the legislation must explicitly state in United States law-for the first time-that long-range missile and nuclear weapons programs are inseparable, and that Iran's development and testing of missiles should be subject to severe sanctions".

He said Beijing would continue playing a constructive role in maintaining and implementing the JCPOA, adding that the deal would help maintain peace and stability in the region and solve "other hot issues" around the world. It was agreed upon by the United States under the administration of former President Barack Obama, Iran and five other countries in July 2015. Without improvements, Trump would renew his threat to withdraw from the agreement. While the USA and other world powers rolled back economic restrictions on Tehran, the Iranians severely curtailed their enrichment of uranium and other nuclear activity. Trump is hoping to fix the sunset clause in the deal, which removes restrictions on Iran's nuclear programs by the end of 10 years, as well as make clear that Iran's nuclear and missile programs are "inseparable" and in need of restrictions.