Iran says Trump’s talk on nuclear deal is ‘mainly slogans’

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran’s president on Tuesday compared talk of renegotiating its nuclear accord to “converting a shirt back to cotton,” and said U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s talk of doing so is “mainly slogans.”

Trump has strongly criticized the deal struck with world powers, in which Iran agreed to curb its uranium enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief, but has not said what he plans to do about the agreement.

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani told reporters that “renegotiation has no meaning at all.”

“Mr. Trump has so far made many remarks on the deal,” he added. “These are mainly slogans. I do not see it as likely that something happens in practice.” He said the deal is beneficial to the United States, but that Trump “doesn’t understand this.”

The agreement also included Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. None have expressed interest in scrapping the deal or restoring sanctions.

“There will be no negotiations on the nuclear deal,” Rouhani said. “The deal has been finalized and it was approved in the U.N. Security Council.”

Rouhani, a moderate who has advocated greater openness toward the West, is up for re-election in May, in what will likely be seen as a referendum on the nuclear deal. He said the new administration in Washington would have no impact on the vote.