[ad_1]
November 25, 2020
Thank God, the American people and the people of our region got rid of their evil [rule]”Said Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in an expression of relief at the departure of his US counterpart, Donald Trump, from the White House in January. In his scathing tirade on state television on Nov. 25, Rouhani blamed Trump’s defeat in part on his “wrong policies” and “racist behavior.”
“The worst crime in US history was committed by this man against independent nations, especially Iranians,” Rouhani added, accusing Trump of “terrorist” and “savage” acts against Iran during the coronavirus pandemic.
Before the US elections, Rouhani and his administration took the official line that Iran does not recognize any difference between a re-election of Trump or a victory for Democrat Joe Biden. However, Rouhani stated that he believes that “a solution to the problem is easy” if the Biden administration shares the “resolve to reduce tensions and respect international obligations.”
Rouhani was referring to the 2015 nuclear deal that Trump withdrew from, but President-elect Biden is expected to reinstall it. “Both Iran and the United States can decide to go back to where they were before January 20, 2017” (the first day of the Trump presidency) when Iran and the other signatories were carrying out the multilateral agreement. “The next stages could come later,” Rouhani said, hinting at the possibility of future talks between the United States and Iran.
The Iranian president’s comments drew a clear line from a speech by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei the day before, when he sounded almost disappointed with “nuclear negotiations that got us nowhere.” Khamenei suggested that “neutralizing sanctions” through “perseverance and initiative” could work more effectively than negotiations. “We cannot trust foreigners and hope for relief on their side,” he added.
Although the Rouhani government would never have been authorized to sign the nuclear deal without Khamenei’s approval, ardent loyalists to the Supreme Leader, who pride themselves on describing themselves as “the stakeholders,” have been harsh critics of the deal from the start. in general, and negotiations with Washington in particular.
Nonetheless, Rouhani seemed to ignore those “concerns” as he counted down the days to the post-Trump era. This will give Rouhani just a few months as president to salvage a dying deal he invested in as his key achievement, as he cannot run again in Iran’s presidential elections next year.
The moderate president now hopes that Biden’s team will “condemn” Trump’s approach and make up for his “mistakes.” However, in a departure from previous statements, and in an attempt to perhaps make the de-escalation even smoother, Rouhani did not demand any compensation from the incoming US administration for the economic damage inflicted on Iran under the policy of “maximum pressure “from Trump.
[ad_2]
