Ali Larijani: Avoid Hasty Comments About Trump

While the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament has called for "avoiding hasty comments" regarding the elected President of the United States, the representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic in the Kayhan newspaper expressed hope that Donald Trump would "tear up" the nuclear agreement. According to ISNA news agency, Ali Larijani emphasized on Sunday, November 23, that analyses and comments from Iranian officials about the elected President of the United States should be "more mature" so that the Iranian Foreign Ministry can take a "clear position" on the matter. Larijani also called for avoiding "hasty comments and premature judgments." In recent days, officials have expressed differing views regarding Donald Trump's victory. Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, stated on Wednesday, November 19, that "our custom is not to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries." He also emphasized that "the future President of the United States is obliged to adhere to the multilateral commitments of the JCPOA, and we are certain that the international community will also expect this from the United States." However, the next day, Mohammad Baqeri, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, referred to threats against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf as a "joke" and stated that Trump made "bigger promises than he can keep during his campaign, which of course, during the campaign, he receives a lot of applause." Before the US elections, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic made comments on November 12 regarding the presidential debates that were interpreted as his preference for Donald Trump's victory. Ayatollah Khamenei stated that Trump was "more candid" in exposing America, which made him "more appealing to the people," while the opposing side said he was "populist; why populist? Because people listened to his words and saw they were correct." This position of the Supreme Leader comes at a time when Trump called the Vienna nuclear agreement a "disaster" and the "worst deal in the world" during his election campaign, promising that if he became President, he would tear up the JCPOA on the first day. Khamenei also reacted to this remark on June 25, stating, "If they tear up the JCPOA, we will burn it." Meanwhile, Hossein Shariatmadari, the Supreme Leader's representative in the Kayhan newspaper, referring to concerns about the new US President's cancellation of the Vienna nuclear agreement, wrote that Donald Trump is "smarter than to tear up a document that has been prepared and approved entirely in favor of the United States." Shariatmadari also referred to the "almost none" achievements of the Vienna nuclear agreement, adding, "What greater achievement is there than Trump tearing up this document that is not only useless but also contains pure losses and freeing the Iranian nation from it?" He called the Vienna nuclear agreement a "pure loss" and wrote that it would be "better" for this agreement to be burned after being torn up for good measure. Shariatmadari's note comes while officials from Hassan Rouhani's government have repeatedly emphasized that the Vienna nuclear agreement has removed the "shadow of war" from over Iran. According to officials from Rouhani's government and media close to the government, opponents of the Vienna nuclear agreement previously claimed that sanctions had no impact on Iran's economy and that this agreement had no positive achievements, but after the agreement, they criticize why the agreement is not being implemented and why Western sanctions are not being lifted. In his editorial in the Kayhan newspaper, Shariatmadari also emphasized that the victory of either candidate in the US elections would not make much difference for Iran, accusing reformists of fostering "artificial fear" about the consequences of Trump's election. In recent days, experts and political figures have discussed various impacts of Trump's victory on US behavior towards Iran. Among them, Mohammad Reza Khatami, a reformist figure and former Deputy Speaker of the Sixth Parliament, stated that "Trump's tolerance is less than that of previous US Presidents," advising that "countries like Iran should deal with this phenomenon cautiously and not give him an excuse." On the other hand, Ali Motahari, Deputy Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, considered Trump's victory "beneficial for Iran," stating that he seeks to improve relations between the US and Russia and has "a good approach towards Saudi Arabia." Iranian Friday prayer leaders on Friday, November 21, in somewhat similar statements emphasized that Donald Trump's victory would not affect Iran, and that American officials would not cease their enmity towards Iran.