Iranian spokesman: We don’t expect ‘new America’ after midterms; everything depends on US accepting our demands

Iran doesn’t expect a “new America” to emerge after tomorrow’s midterm elections, says Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei.

“America’s evil against Iran goes back more than 70 years,” he says during a weekly press briefing.

Iran intends to continue dialogue through mediators to advance its demands, says Baghaei. Everything, he stresses, depends on whether the US “carries out Iran’s demands and positions, and then we must discuss the next steps.”

Baghaei repeats antisemitic conspiracy theories about Israeli control of Washington, saying contradictory US statements about Iran “leave the international community confused as to which party is actually governing and making decisions in America’s system. Who should one talk to in America? Do all roads ultimately lead to Tel Aviv?”

Baghaei says that Iran will not cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency until it “settles debts.”

“The agency’s director general owes Iran a great deal,” says Baghaei of IAEI chief Rafael Grossi. “He must settle his previous debts and then we can discuss the way forward.”

He says that Grossi became “the face of the criminal and illegal action by America and the Zionist regime in attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.”

Grossi, he adds, “took no position” and prepared “ambiguous reports” about the war.

The IAEA’s credibility has been “severely distorted,” he says.