Tehran/Ankara: Iran’s nuclear chief told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he hopes the atomic deal between Tehran and world powers survives, but warns the program will be in a stronger position than ever if not.

The remarks by Ali Akbar Salehi, who also serves as a vice president to Iran’s elected leader Hassan Rouhani, come as Iran tries to salvage an accord now challenged by President Donald Trump.

The American withdrawal from the deal and the return of US sanctions already has badly shaken Iran’s anemic economy, crashing its rial currency. Further sanctions coming in November threaten Iran’s oil industry, a major source of government funding, and will further pressure the relatively moderate Rouhani.

For his part, Salehi sought to contrast Iran’s behaviour, which includes abiding by the atomic accord, against “emotional moves and sensational moves.”

“I think (Trump) is on the loser’s side because he is pursuing the logic of power,” Salehi told the AP in an exclusive interview in Tehran. “He thinks that he can, you know, continue for some time but certainly I do not think he will benefit from this withdrawal, certainly not.”

Meanwhile, the head of Iran’s armed forces demanded on Tuesday authorities in neighbouring Iraq hand over separatist Kurdish dissidents stationed there and close their bases, according to a report by the semi-official Fars news agency.

Major General Mohammad Baqeri was quoted three days after reports that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards fired seven missiles at the base of an Iranian Kurdish armed opposition group in northern Iraq, killing at least 11 people.

“The government of Iraq and the Kurdistan authorities should not allow existence of such bases in their territories and should hand over these separatist terrorists to Iran,” Baqeri said, according to Fars.

“If they cannot hand them over, then they should expel them ... It is Iran’s right to defend itself.” Iranian missiles hit the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Sunday in a statement.

The PDKI is an armed opposition group that fights for greater autonomy for Iran’s Kurdish community. Shiite Muslim-dominated Iran has up to 10 million Kurdish citizens who are mostly Sunni. “Provoked by some regional countries and America ... these separatist terrorists carried out some operations inside Iran ... such measures are unacceptable for Iran,” Baqeri said.

“The authorities of Iraq’s Kurdistan had repeatedly tried to stop them but the group was provoked by others.”