Hassan Rouhani slams Biden admin's Iran policy; 'No different from Trump's'

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday berated the US President Joe Biden saying that his administration's policy on Iran was nothing different from that of Donald Trump’s. Furthermore, the leader said, that there was no notable shift in the US’ approach with Iran. At a ceremonial launch of the Health Ministry’s national projects, Rouhani condemned Joe Biden’s Iranian rhetoric, saying: ‘We have seen no goodwill from the new US administration. The rhetoric has changed but there has been no change in practice.’ Further, in his statement, cited by ANI, the Iranian leader renewed calls for the US to redefine bilateral relations with Tehran, and remove obstacles created by the former administration. Earlier, similarly, the Iranian President had countered signals for the United States to take an initiative to resume dialogue on the 2015 Nuclear Deal, saying  “the ball is in Washington’s court,” in a televised cabinet speech. 

A  military adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Hossein Dehghan, made similar remarks against the Joe Biden government, saying, “Biden administration talked about diplomacy, multilateralism, and interaction in the international arena as well as returning to its international commitments but we still see the same policies from the newly elected administration as we did from the Trump team.” In an interview with Guardian newspaper, referenced by ANI, the Iranian military adviser continued, that the US was “not lifting the oppressive sanctions against Iranian people, continuing to block Iran oil revenue in foreign banks while we need the money to fight against the coronavirus pandemic.” 

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'Want guarantees', says military adviser

Stressing on the proposal first made by Iran to the US to negotiate on the  Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Khamenei’s adviser said, “America’s approach has made our nation not to trust them, we want to receive guarantees that the Americans will not infringe on the agreement [JCPOA] again.” Dehgan further called on the United States to lift unilateral and illegal sanctions against Iran and urged the Biden administration to fulfil its commitment. Earlier, Iran rejected France’s offer for mediation in talks with the US, appearing reluctant about external intervention. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman on February 7 told state reporters that the Islamic Republic would “not need a mediator”, snubbing France’s mediation attempts as a go-between for Tehran and Washington.

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