IRAN could replace North Korea as the biggest threat to the United States as Iranian lawmakers overwhelmingly agreed to pump more money into its nuclear program.

 The Express, August 16, 2017 – Tehran’s parliament voted to funnel thousands of pounds into the development of its nuclear missile project in a bid to fight US “adventurism” at the weekend.

Chants of “death to America” echoed around the chamber as the bill which will increase the state’s military budget by almost $800million was passed with a huge majority.

Now experts have warned the flagrant disregard for international relations shows Iran could be about to drop out of a nuclear deal agreed internationally two years ago.

And some even warned the totalitarian state could become even more dangerous for the US than North Korea, dubbing Iran a more “destructive” power.

Iran successfully launches domestically-manufactured rocket

Under Iran’s new laws, which still need to be rubber-stamped by the country’s overseeing body, $260million will be pumped into the missile program alone.

A further £300m will to the country’s Quds force, while the remaining millions will be spent on other intelligence related projects.

The bill charges the government of recently re-elected President Hassan Rouhani with confronting the “threats, malicious, hegemonic and divisive activities of America in the region.”

Today President Hassan Rouhani even warned he could ramp up his nuclear missile program if the US continues with its “threats” of sanctions, agreed by Donald Trump earlier this month.

Iran’s newly-upgraded Sayyad-3 air defense missiles

Tehran’s parliament voted to funnel millions of pounds into nuclear programs

I think in more than one aspect Iran already is more dangerous than North Korea

Shahin Gobadi

And he hinted he could pull out of the nuke deal he cut with world leaders in 2015.

He told lawmakers: “In an hour and a day, Iran could return to a more advanced [nuclear] level than at the beginning of the negotiations.”

His remarks are thought to be his most direct warning yet that the deal could fall apart, and risked ratcheting up tensions with the US and President Donald Trump.

The US Treasury imposed sanctions on six Iranian firms in late July for their role in the development of a ballistic missile program after Tehran launched a rocket capable of putting a satellite into orbit.

Now some have even claimed the move is evidence the “destructive” regime is actually more of a credible threat to the West than North Korea – despite its nuclear weapons program supposedly being less well-developed.

President Hassan Rouhani even warned he could ramp up his nuclear missile program

Shahin Gobadi, an Iranian engineer who actively speaks out against the regime, told Express.co.uk: “I think in more than one aspect Iran already is more dangerous than North Korea.”

He explained that over the past 25 years, the Iranian regime has failed to be transparent about the program – claiming “always it has been hide and seek, catch me if you can”.

And he suggested the regime now intends to give up on the program when he claims they are so close to having viable weapons despite Iran’s insistence this is not the case.

Alireza Jafarzadeh added: “This move by the Iranian regime is a flagrant disregard for its obligations to the international community as well as the US and international sanctions.

“This is going to have an adverse impact on the US policy regarding Iran as this is a clear indication that Tehran never had the desire to abandon its nuclear weapons program.

“The Iranian regime remains the biggest threat to the world with its nuclear weapons and missile program, its sponsorship of terrorism, and funding Islamic fundamentalist groups.

“However, the Iranian regime is extremely vulnerable as the increasingly discontent young population and the formidable organized opposition threaten its survival.’

And Hossein Abedini of the London office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) exclusively told Express.co.uk: “One has to bear in mind the Iranian regime is heavily involved in all the major wars that have engulfed the Middle East.

“It is the main state sponsor of terror and has been the main source of the ominous phenomenon of Islamic extremism since its inception.

Such a regime’s drive to obtain the most dangerous weapon and ballistic missiles as its delivery mechanism duly create concern.”

Earlier this year Rudy Giuliani, the ex-Mayor of New York and advisor to Mr. Trump warned Iran was already considered an enemy of the US.

Kim Jong-Un is also building nuclear weapons in North Korea

He said: “Iran is our biggest enemy, Iran is our fiercest enemy. It is the greatest danger to freedom in the world.

“Iran [is] a bigger threat than North Korea, it is expanding into an empire. North Korea is contained.

“They have a more technological capability and they have what is truly an insane regime.

“In North Korea, we’re not sure about Kim Jong-un and we do have the hope that China can contain him.”

It comes after North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un seemed to back off on threats to annihilate the US, after Mr. Trump threatened the hermit state with ‘locked and loaded’ military retaliation.