1st LD: Iran vows to retaliate if U.S. seeks to break nuclear deal

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday that if the U.S. leaders want to break the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or the nuclear deal, the Islamic republic will retaliate.

"The pros and cons of the JCPOA are exaggerating" over its merits and limits, Khamenei said, adding that "it has some porosities and loopholes which have been misused by the enemy."

The other side was committed to remove the sanctions against Iran and to lift bans on Iran's banking transactions with the world, which have not been implemented by them, he said.

"The Americans have not fulfilled major part of their commitments, but we took the preliminary steps, suspended 20 percent uranium enrichment and shut down Fordow (enrichment site) and Arak (heavy water) reactor," he added.

The Iranian top leader emphasized that "we won't break the JCPOA. But if the other side seeks to break it, as some candidates in the U.S. presidential elections threaten to tear it to pieces, we will set it ablaze."

Iran and the world powers reached a deal over the former's controversial nuclear program last year which was implemented in January.

Under the deal, Iran quit major part of its nuclear program in return for limited lift of sanctions against its energy and financial sectors. Endit