Speaking to reporters during his weekly press conference in Tehran on Tuesday, Nobakht rejected the possibility of any renegotiation of the nuclear deal with the US following President Donald Trump’s recent move to leave the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“Prior (to the decision), Trump was willing to hold talks with us; however, with whom are we to negotiate? Are we to negotiate with the ones who renege on official agreements approved by the UNSC?” he said.

“No, the Americans do not deserve to sit at the negotiating table with Iranian delegates,” the spokesman added.

He further pointed to the US plots against Iran over the past 40 years and said since 2011, Washington has imposed massive sanctions against Tehran but it has failed to cripple the Islamic Republic’s economy.

In a speech from the White House on May 8, Trump accused Iran of sponsoring terrorism and seeking nukes before announcing the US withdrawal from the 2015 agreement between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).

Following the controversial decision, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iran weighs plans to remain in the agreement with the other five parties, provided that they ensure full benefits for Iran.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has underlined that any decision to keep the deal running without the US should be conditional on “practical guarantees” from the three European parties to the JCPOA.

“Our defense capabilities are nobody’s business,” Nobakht told reporters during his weekly press conference in Tehran on Tuesday.

Iran has heard no little “nonsense” over the past 40 years, he said, referring to anti-Tehran remarks made by hegemonic powers since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s policy is based on interaction,” he said, adding, however, that the country would never accept any bullying.

Iran has always stressed that its military might and test of missiles are issues pertaining to the defense of its territorial integrity and have nothing to do with other matters, the nuclear deal reached between Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France, and Germany), known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iran has also underscored frequently that its military might poses no threat to other countries and that the Islamic Republic’s defense doctrine is entirely based on deterrence.

Since the JCPOA came into force in early 2016, the US has been seeking to link the deal to Iran’s missile program.

US President Donald Trump, who has called the JCPOA the “worst deal ever negotiated”, has called for renegotiating it to address what he calls concerns about Iran’s missile capabilities.

The Islamic Republic has underlined that the nuclear agreement is not renegotiable under any circumstances.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet session in Tehran on Wednesday, Nobakht said the administration approved to allocate $187 million in loans and an $80 million government grant to the quake-stricken people.

He added that about $7,000 have been allocated to each household in rural areas in need of reconstruction, and $10,000 have been allocated to each household in urban areas.

The $187 million in loans would be paid by the Central Bank of Iran and the $80 million government grant would be paid by the Plan and Budget Organization (PBO), the spokesman said.

The latest statistics show 474 people have been killed and 9,388 others injured in Iran by Sunday night’s earthquake, whose epicenter was near Halabjah, southeast of Iraq’s Sulaymaniyah.

In a statement on Monday evening, the Iranian government expressed sympathy with the bereaved families of the victims and declared Tuesday as a day of mourning across the country.

The province of Kermanshah had earlier declared three days of mourning.

Hit hardest by the quake, the province has received dozens of rescue teams from across the country to search for the survivors stuck under the rubble and save the wounded.

Head of the country’s Emergency Medical Service said on Tuesday morning that the rescue and relief operation and the transfer of the injured in Kermanshah had almost finished.

President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday visited the areas worst hit by the earthquake and got updates on the rescue operations.

Speaking at a weekly press conference on Tuesday, Nobakht lauded the IRGC as an official and vital organization in Iran that plays a crucial role in the country’s defense power.

He took a swipe at the US government for its plan to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization, saying a realistic view affirms that the IRGC is fighting against terrorism and safeguarding the Iranian nation.

The world and humanity should be grateful to the IRGC for combatting terrorism, the spokesperson added.

If the US moves to designate the IRGC as a terrorist group, it will undoubtedly put itself in the list of terrorists, Nobakht concluded.

In comments on Sunday, IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said if speculations about the US administration’s “stupid decision” to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization are true, the IRGC will in turn treat the US military around the world, particularly in the Middle East, as Daesh (ISIL) forces.