Interview on the “Strategic” program of the Eco Iran website on September 26, 2025
The interview was in Persian and the translation below was done by Ai.
Sasan Karimi, a faculty member of the University of Tehran, said in the “Strategic” program: The revival of the JCPOA was possible both in the second administration of Mr. Rouhani and in the administration of Mr. Raisi. Negotiations advanced to the threshold of signing at least four times; once with Mr. Araqchi and three times with Mr. Bagheri. However, for reasons outside the scope of foreign policy, this agreement was not finalized and, in my opinion, this decision was not in line with national interests.
He added: The nuclear issue has become the axis of honor of Iran’s foreign policy and the West must accept that decisions are made in Tehran; just as others do not ask our permission for their right or wrong decisions.
He noted: Perhaps before the Trump era, we could have been more effective and structured politics differently. Currently, the doors to negotiations with the United States are closed. During the last five rounds of negotiations, Iran’s problems have been mainly technical, but the main problem on the other side is the lack of political will. This will has not been seen in Washington since Trump’s time.
Karimi emphasized: Negotiation is always possible, but it is not always easy to recommend it. Negotiation is important when it leads to an agreement, and with Trump’s presence, this path is difficult. In my opinion, diplomacy in the past did not cause war, nor was it a deception to drag Iran into war.
He continued: The trigger mechanism does not necessarily mean starting a war, but we should not forget that an actor like Israel can use any excuse for malicious actions; both in the post-Governors’ resolution and in the post-snapback environment. The main consequence of the snapback is the further securitization of Iran’s case and an attempt to further isolate the country.
He concluded by saying: "Iran's solution is to never assume the game is over and to continue to be active in the diplomatic and legal arenas, as well as by relying on other components of power, especially the people. Even announcing the suspension of relations with the Agency or withdrawing from the NPT, along with expressing readiness for negotiations, could put the West in a dilemma. Such an action is not an abandonment of diplomacy, but rather a form of diplomacy itself."
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Video on Eco Iran Youtube
