Iran says Tillerson firing shows US 'determined' to quit nuclear deal

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's sacking shows that Washington is set on quitting the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, Iran's deputy foreign minister said Wednesday. "The United States is determined to leave the nuclear deal, and changes at the State Department were made with that goal in mind - or at least it was one of the reasons," Abbas Araghchi said in comments carried by state new agency ISNA.
US President Donald Trump announced Tillerson's departure in a tweet on Tuesday, saying he would be replaced by Central Intelligence Agency chief Mike Pompeo, who takes a much harder line on Iran than his predecessor. Trump has repeatedly slammed the 2015 nuclear deal, under which Iran agreed to freeze its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of crippling international sanctions.
Despite Tillerson's determination to stick with the deal, Trump has threatened to scrap what he has dubbed a "terrible" agreement unless tough new restrictions were placed on Iran by May 12. A US exit could kill the pact between Iran, Germany and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. The deal's backers have presented it as a victory for diplomacy and nuclear non-proliferation efforts.