Iran urges Europe to defy Trump on imposing new sanctions

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Tehran: Iran has warned that the only way to stop its nuclear deal from collapsing is for Europe to defy any US reimposition of sanctions, Tasnim news agency reported on Saturday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran would develop much more advanced nuclear technology -- though not for weapons purposes -- if Europe followed the United States in returning to a sanctions regime, Xinhua reports.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is responsible for verifying that Iran meets the terms of the agreement.

The US President Donald Trump has attacked the deal on numerous occasions, vowing to tear it up.

On October 15, Trump is due to testify to Congress whether Tehran is complying with the deal and whether it remains in the United States` interests to stick by it.

If he decides it is not, it could open the way for the US lawmakers to reimpose sanctions, leading to the potential collapse of the agreement.