Iran president warns of ‘problems’ as Trump decision looms

Team Udayavani, May 8, 2018, 3:02 PM IST

Tehran: Iran’s president today warned the country could face “some problems” ahead of President Donald Trump’s decision on whether to pull out of its nuclear deal with world powers. Without directly naming Trump, Rouhani’s remarks at a petroleum conference in Tehran represented the first official Iranian comment on the US president’s overnight tweet that he’d make an announcement on the deal today.

“It is possible that we will face some problems for two or three months, but we will pass through this,” Rouhani said. Rouhani also stressed Iran wants to keep “working with the world and constructive engagement with the world.” 

That appeared to be a nod to Europe, which has struck a series of business deals with Iran since the landmark 2015 nuclear deal. Trump’s tweet came late last night, meaning major newspapers across Iran missed the announcement for their front pages.

Iran’s state-run television broadcaster carried the announcement at 10 am local time, and Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency also carried a report on it. Overnight, Iran’s semi-official news agencies carried the news off Trump’s tweet, while others shared foreign media reports online.

Trump’s announcement, set for the 2 pm EST at the White House, will come after nightfall in Iran.