End of US sanctions ?: Rouhani accuses opponents of sabotage

Wednesday 17 March 2021

End of US sanctions?
Ruhani accuses opponents of sabotage

The lifting of US sanctions is becoming a campaign issue in Iran. Radical Presidents in the country consider Rouhani’s policy of aligning with the US as a failure. For this, the outgoing head of government severely criticizes his political opponents.

A few months before the presidential election in Iran, President Hassan Ruhani accused him of sabotaging the removal of US sanctions in the country. “It is a great deception of the Iranian nation if any camp or person abolishes the sanctions even for an hour,” Ruhani said on television. “The small minority who are blocking their chosen path will have to give up their destructive attitude.” Only then can the government ensure that the restrictions are lifted.

Both Iran and the US have indicated their interest in reviving the international nuclear deal in 2015 under new President Joe Biden. However, both demand the first step from the other side. For example, Iran is initially seeking to lift the sanctions that Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump reinstated after the unilateral termination of the treaty in 2018. The United States initially wants to see a concession from Iran, gradually reducing its obligations under the agreement. Rouhani confirmed, “The conditions for the removal of the restrictions are currently almost non-existent.” However, he restricted that the words were not enough. There should be action.

US ban as election issue

Iran’s Foreign Minister Jawad Sarif recently pressured the United States. Due to the upcoming presidential election in Iran on June 18, the time to return to the US is ending, he said on Monday. There will be a waiting period of about six months after the election, which will not allow negotiations until the end of the year.

Ruhani’s statements show that the nuclear deal and lifting of sanctions are becoming an election issue. Ruhani cannot run for the third after two words. The final list of candidates is not available yet. The fundamentalists of the country criticize the policy of failure of the spiritual. Delays on the nuclear issue may, in turn, reduce the chances of liberal politicians to persuade Rouhani to succeed in office. However, presidential power in Iran is limited. Ultimately, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the spiritual and head of state, has the final say in foreign and nuclear policy.