Iran says US Trump unlikely to trouble nuke deal

TEHRAN - Iran's atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi said Tuesday that the US president-elect Donald Trump is expected to undertake Washington's obligations pertaining to last year's nuclear deal, semi-official Fars news agency reported.

"I imagine when the US president practically takes the country's leadership, he will take actions on the basis of the realities as the nuclear deal is not an issue between the two countries to allow the other side to defy its undertakings, and we believe that there will be no problem," Salehi of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) was quoted as saying.

"It is an international issue and we think that we will not face so many problems," Salehi said.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran acts upon its commitments under the nuclear deal and we expect the other side to act upon its undertakings as well," he added.

On Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry also said the incoming administration of the US president-elect is unlikely to break the Iranian nuclear deal to harm the interests of the United States.

"It is still soon to judge what is going to come about," Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said, adding that he believes there is enough rationality within the US society to prevent potential acts from endangering American and international interests.

He also said Iran would prepare contingency plans for any possible scenario.

Under the nuclear deal between Iran and the six world powers in July 2015, the disputes over the former's controversial nuclear program were ended.

The deal, which went into effect in January, requires Iran to scrap the bulk of its nuclear activities in return for the ease of international sanctions on the country's energy and financial sectors.