Bolton vows Washington to increase pressure on Iran until Tehran ends nuclear program

The United States will continue to put pressure on Iran until the country ends its nuclear weapons program and violent activities in the region, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said at the Christians United for Israel conference in Washington on Monday, Trend reports citing Sputnik.

"We will continue to increase the pressure until it abandons its nuclear weapons program and ends its violent activities across the Middle East including conducting and supporting terrorism around the world," Bolton said. "I am here to tell you today President Trump's pressure campaign against Iran is working."

Bolton said that about a year ago, Trump administration critics predicted sanctions would not be effective, but since "the United States has levied the toughest ever sanctions on the Iranian regime and the Iranian economy is - to quote the Financial Times - collapsing under their weight."

Washington fully withdrew from the JCPOA and began reimposing sanctions on Iran in 2018. Tehran later announced its decision to suspend some of its obligations under the agreement, giving the other nuclear deal signatories 60 days to save the accord by facilitating oil exports and trade with Iran amid US sanctions.

Last Sunday Iran announced that it would reduce its obligations under JCPOA due to the fact that the nuclear deal member states were unable to save the accord within 60 days. Tehran said it would begin the process of enriching uranium above the level of 3.67 percent stipulated by the nuclear deal.