Tehran ‘ready’ to resume nuclear program if US exits deal: FM

NEW YORK: Iran is ready to resume its controversial nuclear program "at a much greater speed" if the United States walks away from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has warned.

US President Donald Trump has set a May 12 deadline for the Europeans to "fix" the agreement that provides for curbs to Iran´s nuclear program in exchange for relief from financial sanctions.

In a CBS interview to be broadcast Sunday on "Face the Nation," Zarif doubled down on a warning this month from Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who vowed Washington would "regret" withdrawing from the nuclear deal, and that Iran would respond within a week if it did.

"If the decision comes from President Trump to officially withdraw from the deal, then Iran will take decisions that have been provided for under the JCPOA and outside JCPOA," Zarif said, referring to the 2015 accord. "We have put a number of options for ourselves and those options are ready, including options that would involve resuming at a much greater speed our nuclear activities.