US, France shrug off election of Iran hardliner Raisi

The White House is not getting worked up over the election of Ebrahim Raisi as Iran’s next president, saying that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is still calling the shots on nuclear negotiations.

“The president’s view and our view is that the decision-maker here is the supreme leader,” spokesperson Jen Psaki says. “That was the case before the election, is the case today, probably will be the case moving forward.”

Raisi said Monday that he was not interested in meeting Biden, a sentiment Psaki indicated was likely mutual, given that the US does not have ties with Iran.

“We don’t have any plans to meet at the leader level so it’s unclear that anything has changed on that front,” she says.

She adds that the White House is “looking forward” to seeing where Iran nuclear talks are going after the last round of talks.

Paris also avoids getting excited over the Iranian election, saying it has “taken note” of Raisi’s victory and that it remains “fully mobilized” to implement the 2015 nuclear deal.

“We reaffirm the concerns we have regularly expressed regarding the human rights situation in Iran,” it adds in a statement.

In his remarks Monday, Raisi emphasized the deal’s importance, describing sanctions relief as “central to our foreign policy” and exhorting the US to “return and implement your commitments.”

Agencies contributed to this report.