BEIRUT, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Extending U.S. sanctions on Iran for 10 years would breach the Iranian nuclear agreement, Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said on Wednesday, warning that Tehran would retaliate if the sanctions are approved.

The U.S. House of Representatives re-authorised last week the Iran Sanctions Act, or ISA, for 10 years. The law was first adopted in 1996 to punish investments in Iran’s energy industry and deter Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.

The Iran measure will expire at the end of 2016 if it is not renewed. The House bill must still be passed by the Senate and signed by President Barack Obama to become law.

Iran and world powers concluded the nuclear agreement, also known as JCPOA, last year. It imposed curbs on Iran’s nuclear program in return for easing sanctions that have badly hurt its economy.

“The current U.S. government has breached the nuclear deal in many occasions,” Khamenei said, addressing a gathering of members of the Revolutionary Guards, according to his website.

“The latest is extension of sanctions for 10 years, that if it happens, would surely be against JCPOA, and the Islamic Republic would definitely react to it.”

The U.S. lawmakers passed the bill one week after Republican Donald Trump was elected U.S. president. Republicans in Congress unanimously opposed the agreement, along with about two dozen Democrats, and Trump has also criticized it.

Lawmakers from both parties said they hoped bipartisan support for a tough line against Iran would continue under the new president.

President-elect Trump once said during his campaign that he would “rip up” the agreement, drawing a harsh reaction from Khamenei, who said if that happens, Iran would “set fire” to the deal.

The House of Representatives also passed a bill last week that would block the sale of commercial aircraft by Boeing and Airbus to Iran.

The White House believes that the legislation would be a violation of the nuclear pact and has said Obama would veto the measure even if it did pass the Senate.

(Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, editing by Larry King)</s>Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with members of the Basij force, a volunteer paramilitary organisation in Tehran on November 22, 2016 (AFP Photo/HO)

Tehran (AFP) - Iran will retaliate if the United States renews sanctions next month, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Wednesday.

"In the issue of the nuclear deal, the current administration has committed several violations, the latest of which is the renewal of the 10-year sanctions," Khamenei said in a televised speech to thousands of members of the Basij Islamist volunteer militia.

"If these sanctions happen, it is absolutely a breach of the JCPOA," he added, referring to last year's deal with world powers under which sanctions were eased in exchange for curbs to Iran's nuclear programme.

"They must know that the Islamic republic will react against it."

The US Congress last week voted to renew long-standing sanctions linked to Iran's ballistic missile tests and human rights record that pre-date the controversy around Iran's nuclear ambitions.

The 10-year sanctions must still be approved by the Senate and President Barack Obama by the end of the year.

Washington says these sanctions have nothing to do with the nuclear deal, but Iran says the continuing restrictions go against the spirit of the agreement, particularly since they have discouraged international banks from returning.

"The JCPOA must not become a tool for pressuring the Iranian people," Khamenei said.</s>Extending U.S. sanctions on Iran for 10 years would breach the Iranian nuclear agreement, Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said on Wednesday, warning that Tehran would retaliate if the sanctions are approved.

"The current U.S. government has breached the nuclear deal in many occasions," Khamenei said, addressing a gathering of members of the Revolutionary Guards, according to his website. "The latest is extension of sanctions for 10 years, that if it happens, would surely be against JCPOA, and the Islamic Republic would definitely react to it."

The U.S. House of Representatives voted this month for legislation to extend American sanctions on Iran for 10 years. The legislation needs Senate approval and President Obama's signature.</s>In this handout photo, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with members of the Basij force, a volunteer paramilitary organisation Tehran on Tuesday.

Iran will retaliate if the U.S. renews sanctions next month, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Wednesday. “In the issue of the nuclear deal, the current administration has committed several violations, the latest of which is the renewal of the 10-year sanctions,” Khamenei said in a televised speech.

“If these sanctions happen, it is absolutely a breach of the JCPOA,” he added, referring to last year’s deal with world powers under which sanctions were eased in exchange for curbs to Iran’s nuclear programme.

The U.S. Congress last week voted to renew long-standing sanctions linked to Iran’s ballistic missile tests and human rights record that pre-date the controversy around Iran's nuclear ambitions.</s>"If this sanction is implemented, this is definitely a violation of the agreement, without any doubt," Khamenei said in an address on state television. "And they should know that the Islamic Republic will definitely react towards it."

The US Congress voted last week to extend the Iran Sanctions Act for another 10 years.

However, the Obama administration is working to stave off any additional sanctions and encouraging American companies to do business with Iran, a US official tells CNN.</s>Iran’s leaders have a simple message for any administration unhappy about the nuclear deal negotiated by President Obama: Hands off.

The deal has faced no shortage of criticism from those who rightly point out its defects. Too bad, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says: There is “no possibility” of dismantling it.

According to Iran’s state television channel, Rouhani told his Cabinet that Tehran’s “understanding in the nuclear deal was that the accord was not concluded with one country or government but was approved by a resolution of the U.N. Security Council and there is no possibility that it can be changed by a single government.”

Adds Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, “Every U.S. president has to understand the realities of today’s world. The most important thing is that the future U.S. president stick to agreements, to engagements undertaken.”

Oh, really? Well, let’s not overlook a few other salient “realities of today’s world,” courtesy of Middle East expert James Phillips: the fact that Iran regularly violates international law by sponsoring terrorism, taking hostages, and harassing shipping in international waters.

Its leaders also flout U.N. Security Council resolutions by exporting arms to Palestinian terrorist groups, Hezbollah terrorists, Syrian militias, and Yemeni rebels.

They’ve also, Phillips notes, been caught trying to covertly buy illicit dual-use nuclear technology in Germany, which violates Iran’s commitments under the nuclear deal to obtain international approval for all nuclear purchases.

And they want to lecture U.S. leaders about the importance of sticking to your agreements? That’s rich.

What really bothers them, of course, is the fact that their days of out-negotiating and out-maneuvering President Obama are nearly over. “The administration made huge concessions that allowed Iran to dismantle international sanctions without dismantling key elements of its nuclear program, which continues to advance,” writes Phillips.

Small wonder that Obama structured this flawed and risky deal as an executive agreement. He wanted to make an end-run around Congress, which would likely have voted the deal down if it had been presented to lawmakers as a formal treaty.

The deal’s supporters touted it publicly as a way to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran. Yet Tehran’s clandestine efforts to procure illicit nuclear and ballistic missile technology and equipment have continued unabated in its wake.

Worse, German intelligence indicates that the Iranians are also seeking items — via front companies operating from the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and China — that could be used to make illegal chemical and biological weapons.

Iran, moreover, has done nothing to curb its belligerence toward the United States. Indeed, it has stepped up its hostile actions. Writes Phillips:

“Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which controls Tehran’s nuclear program and ballistic missile force, has repeatedly challenged U.S. naval forces in the Persian Gulf since the nuclear agreement was reached last year.

“IRGC vessels launched rockets within 1,500 yards of the carrier Harry S. Truman near the Strait of Hormuz in late December, flew drones over U.S. warships, and detained and humiliated 10 American sailors in January.”

The thought of a new presidential administration putting an end to this slow-motion power grab in such a volatile region naturally upsets Iran’s theocratic dictatorship greatly. So they’re trying to pre-empt any actions by a new administration that could jeopardize their scheme.

There is nothing to prevent an incoming presidential administration from using Iran’s many violations as a justification to do away with the nuclear deal altogether.

Iran’s leaders are used to orchestrating chants of “Death to America!” Through the feckless actions of the Obama administration, they’ve been able to make nuclear advances that, they hope, will put some muscle behind those words. It’s high time the U.S. put a firm and immediate end to their dangerous plans.

Ed Feulner is founder of The Heritage Foundation (www.heritage.org).</s>(CNN) In a bid to secure the Iran nuclear deal before President Barack Obama leaves office, his administration is working to stave off any additional sanctions and encouraging American companies to do business with Iran, a US official told CNN.

The moves have already met with opposition on Capitol Hill with the Republican leadership in the House sending a letter Tuesday to Obama asking his administration to cease efforts to facilitate companies doing business with Iran during the transition period.

"We respectfully request that your administration take no further actions designed to bolster international investment in Iran," House Speaker Paul Ryan, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce wrote.

"President-elect Trump deserves the opportunity to assess United States policy toward Iran without your administration imposing or implementing additional measures that could complicate the incoming administration's ability to develop its policy," they added.

A senior State Department official who is involved in the negotiations told CNN that there was "no specific effort to seal things irretrievably before the end of the term, rather just to keep meeting our commitments under the JCPOA," using the acronym for the accord.

The official added that the administration is not seeking to roll back any existing sanctions but is hoping to prevent the Republican-controlled Congress from extending the Iran Sanctions Act beyond 10 years.

The administration's actions were first reported in the Wall Street Journal.

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to extend the act for another 10 years last week. The act sanctions Iran for its support of terrorist organizations but also grants the President the authority to levy additional sanctions on Tehran if it is found to be violating the terms of the nuclear deal.

The official said that the US had also bolstered its efforts to attempt to sway US companies to do more business in Iran as part of a bid to secure Iran's continued adherence to the accord.

Earlier this month Secretary of State John Kerry briefed a number of firms in London to help explain how US companies can invest in Iran, educating them as to what type of business they can do there and what types of business they cannot.

The renewed push the official explained was due to Iranians who support the deal, like Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, telling the US that Iranian hardliners may attempt to kill the deal unless its benefits become more apparent within Iran.

The State Department has previously publicly acknowledged actions it has taken to help explain to US companies how they can do business in Iran while avoiding some of the non-nuclear related sanctions that remain in place.

"I would advise Donald Trump to do exactly what he said...which is to dismantle that disastrous deal," Cotton said last week at the Defense One Summit in Washington.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest addressed these reports on Tuesday, saying, "I can confirm for you that I do not anticipate any actions being taken that were initiated after the election solely in response to Mr. Trump's victory."

"Any actions that are taken, if there are any, are the kinds of actions that have been in the pipeline for quite some time and are entirely consistent with the United States upholding our end of an agreement that has prevented Iran from developing their nuclear weapon capability," he added.

Asked about reports of renewed efforts to strengthen the accord, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a spokesman for the State Department said Monday that there were no new decisions to announce.

"Obviously, we're going to stay committed to meeting our JCPOA commitments and obviously continue to believe that the Iran deal is the right thing for the country and for our interests," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters Monday.</s>Throughout the U.S. presidential election campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly articulated disgust for the nuclear deal reached last year between Iran and world powers and promised to scrap it if he took office. But though Trump won the election about two weeks ago, the head of Iran's nuclear program, Ali Akbar Salehi, doesn't appear too concerned about the president-elect's threat.

Alongside President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Salehi was one of the main Iranian officials to take part in negotiations with counterparts from the United States and the other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. The agreement put limits on Tehran's nuclear program in return for sanctions relief and the unfreezing of Iranian funds locked in foreign bank accounts.

Iranian officials have warned the United States that any steps to renege on the deal would potentially kill it - sounding the drums of war in the Middle East and sparking an international diplomatic crisis, with allies in Europe likely to be aggrieved by Washington's rejection of what took years of multilateral negotiation and coordination.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran acts upon its undertakings under the nuclear deal and we expect the other side to act upon its undertakings as well," Salehi said Tuesday, according to a report in the semiofficial Fars News Agency. "I imagine when the U.S. president practically takes the country's leadership, he will take actions on the basis of the realities."

Salehi added: "It is an international issue and we think that we will not face so many problems."

His public calm belies divisions within Iranian politics over the deal and the wisdom of negotiating anything with the United States, a longtime geopolitical foe. Some hard-liners close to the inner circle of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also have indicated their desire to tear up the agreement. Khamenei, for his part, said earlier this year that if Trump scraps the deal, "we will set fire to it."

Meanwhile, policy experts and officials in Washington, including those who staunchly opposed the Iran deal during its inception, also are cautioning against scrapping it - a move that would profoundly antagonize U.S. allies. Rather, they're pushing for a tightening of conditions and a re-imposition of sanctions so that Tehran will feel compelled to renegotiate some of the terms of the deal.

"We gave up . . . all of our leverage on the front end when we gave away the moneys that were stashed in various countries around the world, and so now the leverage is with them," Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., told MSNBC last week. "I think the beginning point is for us to cause them to strictly adhere [to the deal]. And I think that what we have to remember is, we have to keep the Europeans and others with us in this process."

Salehi had also played it cool before Trump was elected.

"You can [use] many words, slogans, but then, at the end of the day, you are constrained by the realities," he said in September, referring to the rhetoric of the U.S. election campaign.</s>WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service) —The White House and Iran have taken steps to buttress their landmark nuclear deal even as House Republican leaders urged President Obama on Tuesday to avoid actions that weaken sanctions on Iran before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated.

“We respectfully request that your administration take no further action that bolsters international investment in Iran," Speaker Paul Ryan, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce wrote in a letter. Trump and congressional Republicans say the accord, which lifts sanctions in return for limits on Iran's nuclear program, provides a financial windfall for Iran's military and terrorist allies.

In the face of GOP opposition to the agreement, the administration issued licenses to French aircraft producer Airbus to sell 106 commercial planes to Iran Air, Reuters reported Tuesday. The White House is considering licensing more U.S. companies to do business with Iran and lifting more U.S. sanctions, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited an unnamed administration official.

Under the deal Iran signed in July 2015 with the U.S. and five other world powers, American aircraft producer Boeing is exempt from U.S. sanctions that remain in place now but would be lifted in 2023. The president, however, has authority to grant waivers to other companies, such as Airbus, to avoid U.S. sanctions for doing business with Iran.

Boeing announced a $25 billion sale of commercial planes to Iran in June, but the Republican-controlled House passed a bill last week to block U.S. banks from financing it.

"Even the president's own State Department has declared Iran 'the world's foremost state sponsor of terrorism,' and the Treasury Department has designated Iran as 'a jurisdiction of primary money laundering concern,'" Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., co-author of the bill, said Tuesday in a statement. The steps taken on behalf of Airbus "endanger our men and women in uniform as well as those of our allies."

This week, the administration issued a stout defense of the accord. "We continue to strongly support the Iran deal. We’re going to implement it," State Department spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday. "I can fundamentally assure you that we’re doing nothing other than meeting our obligations and commitments."

Separately, Iran announced Tuesday that it has shipped 11 tons of heavy water to Oman, a move it said demonstrates its commitment to the nuclear agreement.

The transfer follows a report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency that Iran had 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of heavy water in excess of the 130 metric tons allowed under the deal, which requires Iran's nuclear program to be used only for peaceful purposes. Heavy water is an ingredient that can be used for weapons production.

Ali Akbar Salehi, chief of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, told reporters Tuesday that the heavy water, which is used in some nuclear reactors, was transferred to Oman in compliance with the nuclear deal, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency. Other parties to the nuclear deal are ready to buy it, Salehi said.

“This is an international subject and we do not think that we face any problem,” Salehi said, according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency. Both agencies are state-owned.

Kirby said Monday that questions about whether the extra weight violates the deal are valid, but the incident shows that stringent verification measures put in place to ensure compliance are producing the desired outcome. “The system worked in the sense that we found it and they’re addressing it,” Kirby said.

Critics point to the heavy water incident as evidence that Iran will cheat and that President Obama is bent on preserving his achievement despite its shortcomings.

The Obama administration is trying to “make it more difficult for the next administration to vigorously enforce or renegotiate the deal” by tolerating violations and approving more business deals with Iran, said Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

It might be difficult for Trump to reverse these changes “without causing blowback from key European and Asian allies,” Dubowitz said. “But businesses should beware: They may get caught in the buzzsaw of a new administration furious about its predecessor's attempt to jam them.”
Ayatollah Khamenei warns that Iran will retaliate if sanctions that breach the Nuclear Deal are approved.