Velayati made the remark while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of his visit to Tehran International Book Fair on Sunday, a few days ahead of a 12 May deadline set by US President Donald Trump to either scrap or uphold the multilateral nuclear pact, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
President Trump, a long-time critic of the JCPOA, has repeatedly threatened to abrogate the nuclear agreement by not extending sanctions waivers when they expire, if the European signatories to the deal -- Britain, France and Germany -- do not "fix" its "terrible flaws."
Velayati said, “If Americans decide to withdraw from the JCPOA, the Islamic Republic of Iran will undoubtedly take steps proportionate to conditions that they want to impose and will make them regret [their decision].”
He added that Iran has an open hand to respond to any decision about the fate of the JCPOA, saying, "The Americans can test this issue."
Also, a senior Iranian lawmaker said on Saturday that any violation of the multilateral nuclear deal would further undermine America’s standing in the world.
