Iran on Monday said President Trump should take a more “realistic” approach to international relations.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the Islamic Republic hopes Mr. Trump will take the interests of foreign nations into account when crafting foreign policy.
“We hope that the approaches and policies of the new U.S. government will be realistic and based on international law and respect for the interests and desires of the nations of the region, including the Iranian nation,” Mr. Baqaei said at a Monday press conference.
Additionally, he blasted the Biden administration for failing to revive nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran and its support for Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza.
“On a regional level, I think the Democratic administration of the United States had one of the worst performances in the past 60 years or more,” Mr. Baqaei said, “because the last 16 months of this administration were mostly occupied with comprehensive support for genocide in our region.”
Mr. Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Obama-era nuclear deal in 2018, arguing it failed to address Iran’s ballistic missile program and Tehran’s support for proxy militias around the Mideast.
The Biden administration tried to revive the deal, but discussions with Iran went nowhere, due in part to Israel’s war in Gaza.
The deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, gave Iran significant relief from U.S. economic sanctions in return for limits on its domestic nuclear program.
Since the U.S. pulled out, Iran has increased its nuclear enrichment program and has said it wouldn’t abide by restrictions on its stockpile. The Islamic Republic has long maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful and intended for civilian use. However, United Nations nuclear watchdogs attest that Tehran would need only a few weeks to develop a nuclear weapon.
Iran could see U.N. punishment return due to a snapback measure in the deal, which lets signatories restart sanctions if the Islamic Republic fails to live up to its end of the deal.
Mr. Baqaei said the return of sanctions would be unacceptable and force Iran to exit the agreement.
“Abusing this mechanism will mean that there will no longer be a justification or reason for Iran to remain in some relevant agreements,” he said.
Iran’s comments come as the future of Iran-U.S. relations remains murky.
While Mr. Trump remained adversarial toward Iran during his campaign, some expect the new administration to shake things up this time. The president has expressed support for a negotiated settlement with Iran on the nuclear issue. Additionally, he has rejected calls for regime change in Iran and fired his former envoy to Iran, Brian Hook, on Tuesday.
Iran, for its part, has made some inroads to improve relations with the U.S. In September, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country was ready to host a “constructive dialogue” with the U.S. on nuclear power.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.