TEHRAN, Iran — Iran's president fired a warning shot at Donald Trump Tuesday, cautioning the President-elect that he would not allow him to "tear up" Iran's landmark nuclear deal with world powers.
Hassan Rouhani's comments come as Iran's hardliners find themselves emboldened by Trump's tough talk on Iran and his promise to can the "catastrophic" deal.
According to analysts, hardliners are hopeful this tougher stance will mean an end to the recent rapprochement with the United States, their historic enemy.
"Whatever plans he has, it will be revealed later," Rouhani said of Trump, according to the Associated Press. "He may desire to weaken the nuclear deal. He may desire to rip up the deal. Do you suppose we will allow this? Will our nation allow this?"
The Iranian president never mentioned Trump by name, referring to him only as "some man ... elected in the U.S."
He made the comments in speech at the University of Tehran commemorating the killings of Iranian students protesting a visit by then-U.S. Vice President Richard Nixon in 1953.
"The U.S. is our enemy," Rouhani said, according to the AP. "They want to put pressure on us as much as they can." He also said Iran "will show a reaction" if President Barack Obama signs a law extending some sanctions on Iran for another 10 years.
It's not just Trump's criticism of the nuclear deal that's put Tehran on alert. His picks for national security adviser, CIA director and defense secretary have all been deeply critical of the Islamic republic.
Sadegh Zibakalam, a professor at Tehran University, said that Obama honeymoon is over.
"Hardliners are happy; they are enjoying it!" he said. "Because they begin to see all the potential possibilities of a kind of rapprochement with the United states has gone down the drain."
