Iran's foreign minister has warned that the historic nuclear deal agreed in Geneva will be "dead" if the US Congress moves ahead with threats to pass new sanctions.
Javad Zarif told Time that any new sanctions would show a "lack of seriousness" by the US, breaching the terms of last month's interim deal and scuppering hopes for a comprehensive agreement on Iran's nuclear deal.
His intervention comes as the White House fights to stop the Senate from passing fresh sanctions designed to kick in if no final deal is reached or Iran breaches the terms of the Geneva accord.
John Kerry, the US secretary of state, will appear before Congress on Tuesday and argue that any sanctions would undermine the delicate diplomatic progress made in recent months.
Mr Zarif, his Iranian counter-part, echoed that argument when asked how Tehran would respond to new American sanctions.
"The entire deal is dead," he said. "We do not like to negotiate under duress." » | Raf Sanchez, Washington | Tuesday, December 10, 2013
