Iran says it hopes Trump will take ‘realistic’ approach, show ‘respect’ to Mideast

Tehran lambasts outgoing Biden administration for supporting Israel and not showing ‘seriousness’ in reviving nuclear deal

US President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a rally ahead of the 60th presidential Inauguration in Washington, January 19, 2025. (Evan Vucci/AP)
US President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a rally ahead of the 60th presidential Inauguration in Washington, January 19, 2025. (Evan Vucci/AP)

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran said Monday it hoped the incoming US administration under Donald Trump would adopt a “realistic” approach and show “respect” for the interests of countries in the region.

Trump will be sworn in for a second term as US president on Monday.

“We hope that the approaches and policies of the [new] US 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,” said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei during a weekly press briefing.

Baqaei lambasted the outgoing administration of Joe Biden over its support for Israel in its war with Hamas.

He also said Biden’s administration had failed to “show any seriousness” in reviving the nuclear deal with Iran.

During his first term, Trump pursued a policy of “maximum pressure” against Iran, withdrawing the United States from a 2015 nuclear deal that imposed curbs on its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief. Trump said the deal, signed by his predecessor Barack Obama, did not go far enough in holding Iran back from eventually producing a nuclear weapon.

This picture shows a replica of Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant at an exhibition at the International Conference on Nuclear Science and Technology in Isfahan in on May 6, 2024 (Atta Kenare/AFP)

Tehran began rolling back its commitments after Washington’s withdrawal in 2018. Efforts to revive the pact have since faltered. Though Iran claims its nuclear program is peaceful it has enriched uranium to levels that are a short technical step from weapons-grade material. The UN’s atomic watchdog says there is no civilian use for such high-level enrichment.

The deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), provided for a snapback mechanism that allowed signatories to reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran in cases of the “significant non-performance” of commitments.

The option to trigger the mechanism expires in October this year.

Baqaei warned of a “proportionate and reciprocal” response if the mechanism was triggered.

“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.

Iranian diplomats have previously warned that Tehran would “withdraw” from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if the mechanism was triggered.

Last week, Iran held discreet nuclear talks with Britain, Germany, and France, known as the E3, which both sides described as “frank and constructive.”

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later said European powers appeared serious about finding ways to revive nuclear negotiations, adding that it was not clear whether the Trump administration “intends to return to the negotiations.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at a press conference in Tehran, Iran, December 30, 2024. (AP/Vahid Salemi)

Iran is avowed to destroy Israel, which sees the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program as an existential threat.

Earlier this month a committee appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to examine defense spending and IDF military force design for the future said that Trump’s return as US president offers an unprecedented opportunity to remove the threat Israel faces from Iran.

The release of the committee’s findings came the same day as an Axios report that said Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer had come out of a November meeting with Trump thinking that the US president-elect would back an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities or even order a US attack.

Asked about the possibility of war with Iran, in a November interview with Time magazine, Trump responded, “Anything can happen… It’s a very volatile situation.”

Most Popular
read more: