Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Tehran and Washington could easily return to pre-Trump relations if President-elect Joe Biden sticks to his campaign promises.
Speaking at his weekly cabinet meeting, Rouhani stressed that, if the US government adhered to mutual respect, distanced itself from Trump’s rhetoric towards Tehran, and provided compensation for the devastating impact of sanctions on the country’s economy, it could be a “great solution to a large number of issues and completely change the path and conditions” of bilateral ties.
Iran has severely criticized the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against the country, which it has likened to “economic and medical terrorism”. Following the US’ withdrawal from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Washington has slapped harsh unilateral sanctions against Tehran to pressure it into abandoning its nuclear ambitions. Iran is one of the hardest-hit countries by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Middle East, and the restrictive measures have not only plunged the country into the deep recesses of a crumbling currency, spiraling prices, and increasing unemployment but also made it difficult for Iran to import humanitarian goods. The pandemic has killed nearly 50,000 Iranians.
Rouhani noted on Wednesday that Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election signalled Iran’s victory in the “economic war” between the two nations, and condemned the US government for engaging in “crimes” against independent nations, most notably, Iran and Palestine.
“The reason behind Trump’s failure was his wrong foreign policies, wrong health policies, and racist military action. He was unreliable to everyone and continued his demagogic and populist behaviour, and thank god that the American people and the people of the region are ridden of this evil … He didn’t even allow $5bn in international aid to reach Iran to fight the coronavirus,” Rouhani said, adding: “We hope that the next US government will clearly condemn Trump’s policies against Iran and make up for the incorrect policies implemented by the former US government in the past four years.”
The president stressed that Iran’s policy has always been based on “commitment for commitment, action for action, de-escalation for de-escalation, and respect for respect,” and said that if the incoming US government was determined to decrease tensions, resolution of their differences would not be difficult.
Rouhani’s comments are in line with and come just a few days after Foreign Minister Javad Zarif’s declaration that Iran would fully implement the JCPOA if the US agreed to lift sanctions on the country. President-elect Joe Biden has promised to rejoin the 2015 deal “as a starting point for follow-on negotiations,” and it looks like the Iranian leadership would be willing to engage in dialogue with the new administration, though it had previously stated otherwise. However, the Trump administration is attempting to complicate these efforts by planning to impose a “flood” of sanctions on the nation until Biden’s inauguration on January 20.
President Rouhani Optimistic About US-Iran Relations Under Biden
The leader said that the countries could easily return to pre-Trump relations if President-elect Joe Biden stuck to his campaign promises.
November 26, 2020
SOURCE: TIME