Interview with Farhikhtegan Newspaper, March 13, 2025 -
The interview was in Persian and the translation below was done by Ai.
Sasan Karimi, an international relations expert, considers snapback and facing maximum pressure from the United States to be the main issues facing the Islamic Republic in the coming year and believes that comprehensive plans must be drawn up to overcome them. He also defines foreign policy priorities in Europe and using the JCPOA framework.
Snapback and Maximum Pressure: Foreign Policy Challenges in 1404
Karim considered snapback and facing maximum pressure to be two important issues in Iran’s foreign policy in the coming year and said: “With the current trend continuing, snapback will definitely be implemented, and this is extremely detrimental to Iran’s strategic and long-term interests. What was achieved in the JCPOA; namely, the removal of six UN Security Council resolutions that should normally become permanent in Mehr 1404, is a complete exception in the history of international politics. This issue cannot be repeated if Iran does not take active action and prevents the activation of the dispute resolution mechanism, and as a result, if the resolutions are returned, enrichment, missile capabilities, and the purchase and sale of conventional weapons between Iran and other countries will be considered illegal under international law. Of course, we will advance our interests and positions, but there is no reason to allow such damage to the country as much as possible. Furthermore, the revival of maximum pressure, which was signed in the recent presidential document by Donald Trump, is now in a window of opportunity that is closing with all the pressure. Active action by the diplomatic apparatus can prevent both of these cases, and this, of course, requires comprehensive plans that can use the gaps within the United States as well as between Europe and the United States, as well as the rapprochement between the United States and Russia to their advantage. The reality is that these gaps may not necessarily end in our favor, and may even, on the contrary, cause us to suffer more through them.”
Honesty and avoidance of repetition as the way to overcome foreign policy challenges
Iran’s foreign policy priorities must be set based on working with Europe and the IAEA. Issues that Karimi considered as foreign policy priorities in the coming year and explained: “Designing and implementing a kind of activism in foreign policy based on working with Europe, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the parties to the JCPOA, using the JCPOA framework, and also neighbors can be the main foreign policy priority in the coming year. Designs cannot be set based on the misconceptions of the opposing parties, nor can they wait for Iran’s need to solve the problem to be resolved. Designing a solution, of course, is beyond the foreign policy apparatus and requires expert work beyond implementation. Decision-making also has its sovereign custodians following the decisions produced. "But policy advice to decision-makers has been a bottleneck in many cases. Enlightening and clarifying the foreign policy scene, avoiding repetition and monotony in the field of expertise, and providing correct and honest advice to officials about the situation ahead are among the things that can be effective in identifying and planning to confront the challenges facing the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic."
Farhikhtegan Link
File
