Exclusive | The U.S. Says It Is Not Ready to Revive Nuclear Talks Despite Change in Iranian Presidency

John Kirby, the White House National Security Council communications advisor, stated that Washington is not prepared to return to the negotiating table with Tehran solely due to the change in the Iranian presidency. In response to a question from the Persian section of Voice of America on whether this position means that the Biden administration is ready to resume nuclear negotiations with the Islamic Republic, Kirby firmly answered no. He said, 'We are not in a position where we are willing to return to the negotiating table with Iran just based on the fact that they have elected a new president.' The White House official added that Iran continues to support terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. They still support the Houthis, who attack ships in the Red Sea. They continue to attack free shipping and are still providing drones and drone technology to the Russians so that they can continue the slaughter of innocent Ukrainians, as we witnessed over the weekend. In response to the question about whether some consider the new Iranian president to be from the so-called 'reformist' faction, Kirby said, 'We will see what this man wants to do. But we do not expect any change in the behavior of Iranian officials.' Earlier on Saturday, a U.S. State Department spokesperson emphasized that elections in the Islamic Republic are not free and fair, and their outcome does not affect Washington's approach toward Tehran. This spokesperson made this statement in response to a request from the Persian section of Voice of America regarding the announcement of Massoud Pezeshkian's victory in the government election to succeed Ebrahim Raisi. After the announcement of the government voting results in Iran, Pezeshkian has spoken with officials from Hezbollah Lebanon and other groups that the Islamic Republic calls 'resistance' and has also received their 'congratulations.' Since the beginning of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement, President Joe Biden's administration has suspended nuclear negotiations with the Iranian government and has imposed several rounds of sanctions on drone industries and individuals and entities involved due to Tehran's assistance to Moscow in its military aggression against Ukraine.