Interview with Shafaqna News Agency, February 13, 2025 -
The interview was in Persian and the translation below was done by Ai.
*Given that Donald Trump has announced his readiness to negotiate with Iran on non-nuclear issues, how likely do you think this is? And what is Trump really looking for by negotiating with Iran?
I think Trump has a fundamental appetite for achieving and building a legacy with his name. Of course, there is no public desire on the part of the Islamic Republic of Iran to negotiate with the United States, and at the current stage, the opposite is true. For this reason, I do not think we will see negotiations between Tehran and Washington in the expected format in the near future.
There is currently no scope for negotiations in Iran
*Trump has not yet commented clearly on the US foreign policy approach towards Iran. We have only seen him dismiss hardliners like Brian Hook, John Bolton, and Mike Pompeo and appoint people like Darren Beatty, who is the face of opposing war with Iran, as Deputy Secretary of State. How do you analyze this and how much of a positive pulse it can be for Iran and if it is a positive pulse for Iran, what actions should be taken in this regard?
In my opinion, Trump’s practical approach to Iran has several aspects. So far, his appointments and statements have been somewhat less hostile, but the text he signed is strongly anti-Iranian. Therefore, depending on whether we see this as a “bad game and good game” dichotomy, or whether we think that this is a real difference between Trump and the core of power in America that different designs may be implemented. In any case, we should consider the first version, but the implementation is not necessarily based on the same idea and we can follow a somewhat more complex design. At the moment, I do not see the context for negotiations in Iran.
Whether the snapback is not implemented depends on our political and diplomatic will
*Given the current state of the nuclear deal, what solutions do you propose to revive it and improve relations with Western countries? What consequences will it have for Iran in the future if the nuclear talks fail?
It is better to pursue negotiations with Europe in a more substantive and coherent manner. In addition, coherent talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency can be started alongside these talks with Europe. We must try to avoid a snapback, and this is possible in principle and depends on our political will and diplomatic activity.
Donald Trump does not give Benjamin Netanyahu space
*We witnessed the visit of the Israeli Prime Minister to the United States. In your opinion, what was asked of the US President about Iran during this meeting and whether Trump can and wants to control the tension between Iran and Israel?
Netanyahu is more proactive on the basis of his relationship with the core of power in America and has managed to get the aforementioned text out anyway - whether on behalf of Trump or the core of power. At the same time, so far, Netanyahu's hand is not as open as Trump's first round, and Trump's team is not giving him as much space. Of course, the fate of everything in international politics is fluid and depends on the proactiveness of all parties. The actions of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the United States, Israel, and others can ultimately determine the direction of this issue. So far, I think Netanyahu has taken a step forward in Trump's politics.
Europe is not independent in foreign policy
* Mr. Takht-Ravanchi announced in his recent interview that Russia and Europe have differences of opinion on the negotiation format. If we skip the dialogue stage with Europe and reach negotiations, how are we going to eliminate the Russian challenge?
The disagreement between Russia and Europe is more than technical, it precedes the war in Ukraine, and I think it is more a difference of will. It remains to be seen what happens between Putin and Trump regarding Ukraine and what Europe's approach is to what will happen. Europe has become more weakened and dependent on America than ever before. Therefore, Europe cannot be viewed as an independent entity in foreign policy. However, in any case, its capacity can be used both in terms of norm-setting and the door that is not currently closed. Meanwhile, the snapback lever is currently in the hands of these countries, and our priority should be this issue for the next few months.
We need to be more intelligent in foreign policy
*Given the discussions raised about FATF, what do you think the final result will be? And what results do you think Iran will achieve by joining FATF?
In my opinion, the expert opinion of the Ministry of Economy is important in this regard. The fact is that being on the FATF blacklist has restricted not only the Islamic Republic of Iran and its specific real and legal entities that are under sanctions, but also all Iranian citizens regarding financial transactions. Being on this list has added important limitations to the sanctions restrictions, and this is why the US government is interested in Iran not leaving this blacklist. I think we need to be more intelligent in foreign policy than we are used to. The world is moving quickly and becoming more complex, and complex questions do not have simple answers.
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