Iran Won't Accept Any Amendment To Nuclear Deal Says Senior Official

A top adviser to Iran's supreme leader said on Thursday Tehran would not accept any change to its nuclear deal, as Western signatories prepare a new package in the hope of persuading U.S. President Donald Trump to stick with the accord.

A May 12 deadline is looming for Trump to decide on whether to re-impose U.S. economic sanctions on Tehran. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday he had discussed a "new deal" with Trump in which the United States and Europe would tackle outstanding concerns about Iran beyond its nuclear programme.

"Any change or amendment to the current deal will not be accepted by Iran," said Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the semi-official Iranian news agency Fars reported.

"If Trump exits the deal, Iran will surely pull out of it ... Iran will not accept a nuclear deal with no benefits for us," Velayati told journalists.

Under Macron's proposal, the United States and Europe would agree to block any Iranian nuclear activity until 2025 and beyond, address Iran's ballistic missile programme and generate conditions for a political solution to contain Iran in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.

Velayati dismissed any possibility of Iran limiting its influence in the Middle East, as demanded by the United States and its European allies.

"This is our region. We are in our own region and it is legitimate," he said.