Khamenei: Iran will continue moving away from nuclear deal

Oct. 2 (UPI) --

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the country will continue to reduce its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal if the United States doesn't rejoin the treaty and remove sanctions.

Last year, President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the 2015 nuclear deal, and instead implemented sanctions on Iran as punishment for the country's funding terrorist attacks throughout the region.

Khamenei said the U.S. campaign of maximum pressure has failed and will definitely continue to fail.

They imagined Iran would be forced to show flexibility if they applied policy of maximum pressure, Khamenei said. With the help of God, they understand that the maximum pressure has caused problems for themselves.

He said the United States tried to get European allies to arrange a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani as a symbol of Iranian submission but that failed, too.

He called the sanctions on Iran selling crude oil a short-term problem that could generate long-term benefits because it cuts reliance on oil revenues.

At one point, Tehran was hopeful that European leaders would find a way to circumvent the oil sanctions but nothing came of the talks.

Iran continues to reduce its commitments to the JCPOA as the sanctions get harsher. Iran removed the ban on nuclear research and development, started enriching uranium to a higher purity and has taken other steps.