Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iran's President Hassan Rouhani attend an endorsement ceremony for Rouhani as a president, in Tehran, Iran, August 3, 2017. (Reuters photo)
TEHRAN, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Thursday denounced the recent endorsement of new sanctions against the Islamic republic by the U.S. president, saying that it violates nuclear deal.
In a statement, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Bahram Qasemi, condemned Donald Trump's signing of new sanctions against the Islamic republic as "illegitimate."
Iran reserves the right to respond to Washington's "hostile" measures against Tehran, it said.
Trump on Wednesday signed a sanctions bill on Russia, Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
In a statement released by the White House, Trump said he favoured tough measures to "punish and deter bad behavior" by Iran.
Sanctions against Iran are mainly in response to Tehran's growing missile program.
Tehran has emphasized that its ballistic missile advancement is for deterrent purposes and the country will never negotiate over it.
"The U.S. move is illegitimate, illogical and contrary to all the human principles as well as the international laws," Qasemi was quoted as saying by the ministry's website.
Washington's anti-Iran action is another instance of U.S. enmity with the Iranians, he said, adding that it is also an insult to the world consciousness.
Qasemi noted that other countries, involved in signing the Iran's nuclear deal two years ago, also disapprove the "U.S. unilateral" measures in exerting pressures against Tehran.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran will not remain tight-lipped in the face of the U.S. violation of the nuclear deal, also known as JCPOA, and the Iranian parliament and government will soon announce a series of reciprocal measures," he was quoted as saying.
However, Iran will not fall pray to the U.S. and Israeli plots to ignore and violate JCPOA, he stressed.
The Iranian officials have said that by new round of sanctions against Tehran, the U.S. administration is seeking to provoke Iran to withdraw from the 2015 deal which put an end to the decade-long disputes of Tehran's sensitive nuclear program.
On Wednesday, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, said that "United States wants to pull out of the nuclear deal by holding Iran responsible for that, but Tehran will not give Washington the chance of being the first to drop the deal," according to semi-official Mehr news agency.
Besides, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi accused the United States of violating the JCOPA by renewing sanctions against the Islamic republic, Mehr reported on Thursday.
"In our eyes, the JCOPA has been violated (by the United States), and we will give deserved response," Araqchi was quoted as saying.
The signing of fresh anti-Iran sanctions by Trump is an attempt to destroy the JCOPA, Araqchi, who is also Iran's senior nuclear negotiator, said.
Washington believes the JCPOA has strengthened Iran in the region, he said, adding "they think that this situation must be reversed and Iran must be put under pressure."
Imposing fresh sanctions on Iran is an attempt to reduce Tehran's benefits from the nuclear deal and to negatively affect its "successful implementation," he said, according to Press TV.
Araqchi also said that, in a committee chaired by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, several decisions were made over reactions towards Washington's "provocative measures," which will be duly handed over to the Iranian Foreign Ministry and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Iran and six world powers, namely Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, reached an agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue in July 2015, which put Tehran on the path of sanctions relief but with more strict limits on its nuclear program.
On Thursday, Qasemi reiterated that "Iran has stood up to the United States' hostile moves and is pressing ahead with its efforts to ensure stability and security, and to fight against terrorism in the region," he noted.
"Iran will, by no means, allow the expansionist and destabilizing policies of others to bear fruit," said Qasemi.
