Iran is urging longstanding ally North Korea to be cautious in future dealings with President Trump, citing the withdrawal of the United States from the JCPOA nuclear agreement as reason for Pyongyang to be wary.
“We still look at Trump and the U.S. behavior with pessimism and we cannot be optimistic about the U.S. behavior,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Behram Qassemi said Monday, alluding to the U.S. president’s dropping of JCPOA — the 2015 nuclear deal brokered by Barack Obama.
“The Korean government should keep vigilant,” Qassemi warned ahead of the historic meeting in Singapore between Mr. Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.
Mr. Trump announced that the United States was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal last month, defying last-ditch diplomatic efforts by his European allies to convince him otherwise.
At the time, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani suggested America’s withdrawal from the JCPOA means nothing, saying, “From this moment on, the JCPOA (nuclear agreement) is between Iran and five countries. The plus one no longer exists and, under these circumstances, we have to wait and see how these six countries will react to this agreement.”
Now Iran is warning that the U.S. could use the same tactics in its dealings with North Korea, with Qassemi saying Pyongyang should enter the gathering with “awareness.”
Qassemi reportedly said the United States has a reputation for “quitting treaties and violating their commitments.”
Despite the words of warning from Iran, President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un went ahead with an unscheduled signing of documents after their summit in Singapore on Tuesday.
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