Iran expects that the upcoming administration of the United States, led by President Donald Trump, will show “respect” for the interests of Middle Eastern countries and adopt a “realistic” perspective. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Baghaei expressed this expectation during a weekly press briefing on Monday.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on Monday at 12 p.m. local time (11 p.m. Bangladesh time). Even before formally resuming office for his second term, Trump has facilitated an agreement to end the 15-month-long war between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East through his appointed envoy.
In a press briefing in Tehran, Ismail Baghaei stated, “We hope the new U.S. government’s policies and perspectives will be realistic and based on international law, respecting the interests and aspirations of Iran and other countries in the region.”
Baghaei also criticized the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden for supporting Israel in its war with Hamas, the ruling faction in the Gaza Strip. He accused Biden’s administration of failing to show any significant effort to revive the nuclear agreement with Iran.
During his first term, Donald Trump followed a “maximum pressure” policy against Iran. He decided to withdraw the United States from the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement.
To limit Iran’s nuclear program, the U.S., along with six global powers—France, Britain, Germany, China, and Russia—had signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). However, in 2018, former President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal, calling it “flawed,” “