TEHRAN - Iran’s foreign minister is seeking to distance Tehran from the US Justice Department revelations that it sought to assassinate US President-elect Donald Trump, who reports indicate could renew the US “maximum pressure” campaign on the Islamic Republic when back in the White House.
“Remember the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran right after our President’s inauguration? Everyone knows who did it and why,” writes Abbas Araghchi on X, referring to the killing of the Hamas leader in late July that Iran has blamed on Israel.
“Now, with another election, a new scenario is fabricated with the same goal: as a killer does not exist in reality, scriptwriters are brought in to manufacture a third-rate comedy. Who can in their right mind believe that a supposed assassin SITS IN IRAN and talks online to the FBI?!”
Araghchi insists that Iran respects the American people’s choice of president, but “the path forward is also a choice. It begins with respect.”
He also claims: “Iran is NOT after nuclear weapons, period. This is a policy based on Islamic teachings and our security calculations. Confidence-building is needed from both sides. It is not a one-way street.”
Iran signalled an openness towards Donald Trump Saturday, calling on the president-elect to adopt new policies towards it after Washington accused Tehran of involvement in a plot to kill him.
Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif urged Trump to reassess the policy of “maximum pressure” he employed against the Islamic republic during his first term. “Trump must show that he is not following the wrong policies of the past,” Zarif told reporters. His remarks came after the United States accused Iran of conspiring to assassinate Trump.
The foreign ministry on Saturday described the American accusations as “totally unfounded”.
Tehran and Washington severed diplomatic relations shortly after the Islamic revolution in 1979.
Zarif, a veteran diplomat who previously served as foreign minister, helped to seal the 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and Western powers, including the United States.
However, the deal was torpedoed in 2018 after the United States unilaterally withdrew from the deal under Trump, who later reimposed sanctions on Tehran.
In response, Iran rolled back its obligations under the deal and has since enriched uranium up to 60 percent, just 30 percent lower than nuclear-grade.
Tehran has repeatedly denied Western accusations that it seeks to develop a nuclear weapon.
Zarif on Saturday that it was Trump’s political approach towards Iran that led to the surge in enrichment levels. “He must have realised that the maximum pressure policy that he initiated caused Iran’s enrichment to reach 60 percent from 3.5 percent, and increased its centrifuges,” he said.