Protests erupt in Iran over nuclear deal

Iran says it is ready to restart its nuclear program on an "industrial scale" in the wake of the decision by US President Donald Trump to abandon the deal that curbs the country's nuclear ambitions.


In a statement published Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said he would embark on a round of international diplomacy to try and save the deal. At the same time, the country would make preparations to restart its program of nuclear enrichment, he said.
Zarif's comments came as thousands of Iranians took to the streets in the largest demonstration since Trump announced his decision Tuesday.

Protesters burned an American flag and railed against the US and Israel after emerging from Friday prayers in Tehran.

In his statement, Zarif accused Trump of "ignorance and folly" and said American foreign policy had "dragged the Middle East into chaos."
He said Iran would attempt to save the nuclear deal through negotiations with the European nations who were co-signatories to the deal. Zarif will meet Tuesday with his counterparts from Germany, France and the UK in Brussels.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the US decision to withdraw from the deal was a serious blow. Speaking at a Catholic Day conference in Muenster on Friday, Merkel said it would be difficult to keep the deal alive, given that a "huge economic power has left."

"We hope we can, but there are a lot of things playing a role in this," she said. "We will have to discuss that with Iran."

Ahmad Khatami, leader of the Friday Prayer, vowed Iran would turn "Tel Aviv and Haifa to dust" if attacked by Israel.
"We are not interested in the atomic bomb, but we are increasing our missile capabilities in other fields so that Israel cannot sleep well," he was quoted as saying by semi-official ISNA News Agency.

In a YouTube statement on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had "crossed a red line," and that Israel's action was appropriate.
"Whoever hits us will get hit seven times over. Whoever prepares themselves to attack us will be attacked first. That is what we have done and that is what we will continue doing," Netanyahu said.
Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981 after capturing it from Syria in the Six Day War in 1967.
The international community has never recognized the annexation and regards the Golan Heights as Israeli-occupied territory.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reported from Tehran. James Masters wrote from London. Oren Liebermann and Salma Abdelaziz reported from the Golan Heights. Jamie Tarabay contributed to this report.