Iran president: ‘Win-win’ nuclear deal a blueprint for other disputes

President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a ceremony marking National Space Technology Day in Tehran, Iran, in this Feb. 1 file photo. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

JEDDAH: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the landmark nuclear deal with world powers is a “win-win agreement” and can be used as a blueprint to solve other Middle East disputes.

Unlike what US president Donald Trump thinks, the accord benefits everyone and can be used as a stepping stone to defuse tension in the region, he said in a speech broadcast live on state television on Tuesday.

“The new US president reads text of the nuclear deal but cannot accept it. He says this is the worst deal in history,” Rouhani said.

“This is a win-win agreement. Everyone benefits from it... The nuclear negotiations can be used as an example for other talks to bring stability and security to the region,” he added.

The Trump administration last week imposed new sanctions on more than two dozen Iranian companies and individuals after Tehran tested a ballistic missile. Ahead of the measure, Trump tweeted Iran’s leaders “should have been thankful for the terrible deal the US made with them!”

Rouhani also said the nuclear negotiations set a pattern that led to peace talks last month in Kazakhstan in a Russia-led push for a new peace process for war-torn Syria.

— With Reuters, Associated Press