He added: Another point is that improving relations with neighbors is fundamentally dependent on the lifting of the pressure of sanctions and isolation imposed by the United States. Today, when Europe has also become more aligned with America for multiple reasons, the task has become even more difficult politically. Finally, it should be noted that our neighboring countries are not powerful countries in the global context and typically have very good relations with America, and therefore they see no reason to expose themselves to the risk of sanctions and punishment from America due to improving relations with us, especially in the trade and economic fields. Especially since many of these countries are basically America's partners in the region and have a relationship that is of strategic importance to them.
In response to the question of what the challenges facing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are by the end of this term and how these challenges should be resolved, Karimi said: The most important thing that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was supposed to do during this term was to sign the agreement that Mr. Araqchi had finalized, and the main points of which are in Mr. Zarif's final report to the parliament. But with the new cadre coming to power, despite the fact that the policy of following the previous path in the nuclear file was decided and announced again with the involvement of new officials, for reasons that are still unknown to us, this has not been done yet and does not seem to be possible. Because the revival of the JCPOA has turned from a kind of nominal achievement for the West, and especially the Democratic Party in the United States, into a cost, we can say that the opportunity to lift sanctions and get Iran out of sanctions and oppressive isolation has been burned and lost.
He clarified: The fundamental task for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to get out of the trap of analyses that are not based on reality. We cannot wait for the international order to change and the United States to fall from power to open up our foreign policy work. Rather, we must address the issue of reforming our foreign policy in the current order and with a realistic outlook, which, regardless of the permanent body of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requires high-level political expertise that goes beyond bilateral and daily relations with countries and international organizations.
In response to the question of where the roots of the challenge with the West lie and what conditions are necessary for these relations to improve, this international affairs analyst said: Our relations with the West are not hostile according to the classical definition, although in practice they cannot be called friendly either. In any case, the tensions that arose within the country and, even more so, the movements of Iranians abroad have not been without an impact on the mentality of Western governments and, even more so, on the public opinion of those societies. Therefore, Western governments that consider themselves obliged to respond to this public opinion must at least consider this sensitivity on their agenda until further notice.
He added: On the other hand, we must ask ourselves what appeal we have left for Westerners? Constant tension, permanent sanctions, lack of investment attractiveness, lack of energy purchases from Iran, and lack of extensive exports to the Iranian market are all elements that are based on it and it seems that the West is getting more and more accustomed to living without Iran or with a limited Iran every day, and this is the most important thing that the foreign policy apparatus of the new government has lost. In the previous period, we were constantly in a questioning position, and now we have returned to the point we experienced in foreign policy at the end of the tenth government, and this is sad.
In response to the question, are there any shortcomings in the management of foreign policy by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Where are these shortcomings, Karimi said: Of course, it is clear that foreign policy has not achieved much in the new government. The only thing that has become clear is that foreign policy cannot be advanced with a magic wand and that policy in the international environment is solely dependent on our performance and professionalism. We cannot suddenly achieve extraordinary achievements in another way, as was suggested at the beginning of the government.
He added: "The path is what the professionals go and say. The most important problem in our foreign policy is in our perspective. The understanding and perception we have of the international environment and the concepts underlying it is still largely the perspective of the Cold War and bipolar blocs, and the shadow of this distorted understanding and perception has fallen on the performance of our foreign policy apparatus. If we look at the number of trips our Foreign Minister has taken in the past year and a half and compare it with the previous one, it becomes clear that our foreign policy apparatus is sinking into naked isolation, and it is of course very difficult to correct this issue even by the most professionals."
In response to the question that some foreign policy and diplomatic relations analysts say that the model that is being used in Iran's foreign policy in the 13th government is that institutions outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are involved in decision-making. To what extent do you agree with this statement, this international affairs analyst said: Such a statement requires more information than analysis, and we do not have this information. But it seems that the influence of the Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council on the issue of the JCPOA has been more than before in an official sense, and the influence of individuals in the shadow and on the margins of the government has been very high unofficially on the JCPOA and other issues. Any institution that does not have a professional manager will inevitably suffer from some kind of weakness in performance, in which case the intervention of other institutions in its work will be inevitable.
In response to this question regarding the JCPOA, Karimi said that in the previous government, the Foreign Minister was responsible for negotiating with the other side and at the same time provided explanations about the negotiations, but in this period we are faced with a lack of accurate information from the Iranian Foreign Ministry, so that this role is mainly played by the Russian Ulyanov. In your opinion, what are the reasons that caused this to happen and what does this behavior mean? He said: Mr. Ulyanov, of course, does not speak on behalf of our foreign policy apparatus and has not said anything. Now that the issue of revitalizing the JCPOA is no longer on the agenda and this matter does not have the relevance it once did. But it is clear that the diplomatic apparatus, and especially the negotiating team, have not seen any accountability to the people and do not consider themselves in need of enlightening public opinion. In this regard, we can observe a coldness in society towards foreign policy and revitalizing the JCPOA, which has increased every day in the new government. If we compare this with the days and nights of the JCPOA negotiations, the clarity of this difference will be even clearer.
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