US in position to do far worse: Trump warns Iran

US President Donald Trump has warned Iran amid reports Tehran has begun enriching uranium beyond limits outlined in the 2015 nuclear deal, saying Washington is capable of doing "far worse". "We are in a position to do far worse': he said in an interview with Fox News on Monday.

The US has accused Iran of violating the 2015 deal. Washington has also said it would never allow Tehran to develop nuclear weapons. However, Iran has maintained that it never violated the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Monday said that his country has not violated the deal as it has taken all decisions while strictly sticking to the 'dispute resolution mechanism' mentioned in it. Tehran had stopped complying with some elements of the agreement in May, a year after the US unilaterally withdrew from the deal.

The agreement was reached to limit Iran's civilian energy programme and prevent it from developing nuclear weapons in exchange for relief from sanctions that were crippling the country's economy. The deal was hailed as a major diplomatic victory by the Obama administration. However, last year, Trump-led US government had withdrawn from the deal, terming it as "defective at its core".

Washington's decision of pulling out from the agreement soured its ties with Iran. In the past year, the Trump administration has slapped a multitude of sanctions on Tehran citing the latter's support to state-sponsored terrorism and conflicts.