IRNA – The US has declared economic, political war on Iran by re-imposing sanctions, violating the international law and regulations, a US-based Iranian specialist said in a recent interview.

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (the US, France, Britain, China, and Russia) plus Germany signed the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015. Iran accepted to curb its nuclear program in exchange for economic sanctions relief.

The US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal on May 8, calling it the worst deal ever. Washington re-imposed unilateral economic sanctions against Iran after Trump's decision to pull out from the international nuclear deal.

The US also has urged allies to halt their oil imports from Iran by November 4. The decision has prompted some major customers of Iran crude, such as South Korean and India, to explore ways to skirt US-imposed sanctions against the country.

Referring to the 13-year-negotiation that led to the landmark nuclear deal between Iran and the five UN Security Council permanent members plus Germany, Hossein Mousavian, Iran's former nuclear negotiator, accused the US of violating international law and pressing its allies, including the UK, for following Washington in the violation of an international accord.

'President Trump publicly has announced economic war, political war with Iran, short of military war,' Mousavian said.

Speaking at the American TV Program, Democracy Now, the Middle East Security and Nuclear Policy Specialist at Princeton University said, the US actions and demands are endangering 'international peace, order and security'.

Commenting on the sanctions Washington re-imposed on Iran, the Iranian expert said the country has become the most experienced country on the US sanctions and therefore they have learned how to survive the strict measures.

He also noted that contrary to the previous sets of sanctions on Iran being supported by the UN, the latest series re-imposed on Tehran are not backed by the international community, as Russia, China, Europe and India are not going to violate the international regulations.

'President Trump would not be able to create international consensus reimposing the new sanctions,' he argued.

He also noted that the economic hardships Iranian community is experiencing are not merely the result of US sanctions; rather they are also caused by 'domestic dysfunctionality of different systems'.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Monday said the current economic hardships in the country are mostly the result of internal elements than sanctions.

Answering a question on the effectiveness of any possible new negotiation between Iran and the US, the specialist said so long as the US acts in violation of an international agreement signed with Tehran by the former American president, there would be no guarantee that the next president would not violate any new deal with Iran.

Rejecting the accusations some states, including the US, level against Iran, Mousavian said, 'The biggest misperception and misunderstanding is that they (the Americans) think Iran is after destabilizing the region, while Iran is really after stabilizing the region because in an unstable region, Iran would be the first or among the most important countries to suffer.'

'Iran really has invested in Iraq and Syria to fight ISIS in order to bring stability. Iran cooperated with the United States of America 2005 after the US announced the War on Terror and attacked Afghanistan. Iran shook hands with the United States to cooperate with the US to fight [inaudible] and Taliban in Afghanistan.'

He went on to mention more instances of Iran's efforts in favor of region's security by saying that Iran also cooperated with the US to restore order and security in Iraq.

'Therefore, this is very important for the United States of America to understand what a real, legitimate security concern Iran has in the region in order to understand Iranian regional behavior,' Mousavian stressed.

The second big mistake on the US part is that it is following a dual track policy toward Iran by pressuring Tehran and at the same time asking for negotiation, the expert said.

'This has been experience for 40 years by every administration, by the Democrat and Republican, and all have failed,' he said.

Iranian officials have frequently ruled out any negotiation with the US under pressure.