Nikki Haley Says U.S. Policies Have Made Iran's Government Feel Weak

The U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations states that the policies of the Trump administration have caused the Iranian government to feel 'weak.' Nikki Haley asserts that nothing will change until the Islamic Republic reforms and alters its behavior. In an interview with Fox News on September 12, Haley mentioned that the Islamic Republic 'feels weak, and we are putting them in such a tight spot that they have to pay attention to their ballistic missile issues and their support for terrorism.' For years, U.S. governments have placed Iran at the top of the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Tehran denies the accusations of supporting terrorism and claims that its missile program is defensive, insisting that it will not abandon it despite facing various military sanctions. Haley pointed out the Trump administration's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement made during Barack Obama's presidency, stating, 'Iran's role in Syria is definitely destructive. We have seen them attempt to threaten Israel and engage in proxy wars throughout the Middle East. These are the very reasons we (the United States) exited the (nuclear) agreement with Iran.' The Trump administration's exit from the JCPOA occurred while a range of U.S. politicians, as well as Europe, Russia, and China, the other parties to the nuclear negotiations, expressed their opposition to this action. None of the other parties have exited the agreement. However, Europeans have aligned with the U.S. in criticizing Iran's activities in the region and Tehran's missile program. Nikki Haley stated that the JCPOA allowed the Islamic Republic to 'continue its bad activities, and we cut off their financial resources... but ultimately nothing will help Iran until [the Iranian government] decides to reform itself.' Trump: Iran has no choice but to negotiate for a new agreement. Trump administration officials have emphasized in recent months that their goal is to change the behavior of the Islamic Republic. Trump himself has stated on several occasions that he is willing to negotiate without preconditions with the Iranian president, although he has emphasized that the final decision in this matter rests with them. The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, however, has stated, 'The Islamic Republic can negotiate with America whenever it reaches a power level that the pressure and bluster of the U.S. will not affect it, and today that is not the case.' The Iranian Foreign Minister had also previously asked what assurance there would be for the remnants of any new agreement if the Iranian officials reached one with the Trump administration. Khamenei: I made a mistake regarding the JCPOA negotiations; I prohibit negotiations with America. In another part of her interview, Nikki Haley emphasized, 'Our focus now is on the people of Iran.' She stated, 'They have protested, they have expressed their desire for a better life... [the Iranian government] must ultimately decide. But we cannot allow them to have any nuclear program.' In recent months, various protests and demonstrations have taken place in cities across Iran. Following the U.S. exit from the JCPOA, the first round of sanctions has returned, and oil sanctions are set to be implemented in November. During this time, the value of Iran's national currency, the price of foreign exchange, gold, and other goods have undergone unprecedented changes. Although the initial spark for the protests was economic issues, slogans against the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and other institutions and senior officials of Iran, against Iran's foreign actions and activities, or in support of the Pahlavi regime have been raised. The U.S. Ambassador to the UN also addressed the situation in Syria during part of her interview, stating, 'As we have said, Syria, Russia, and Iran... we told you twice not to use chemical weapons, you used them twice, and President Trump took action twice; do not test us again.' In the past week or two, U.S. officials have stated that they have evidence indicating that government forces are preparing to use chemical weapons during an attack on Idlib. The U.S. has repeatedly warned about the use of chemical weapons and emphasized that, as it did before, it will respond again. Meanwhile, the situation in Idlib and the potential attack by Assad and his allies is facing serious concern from the UN and supranational organizations. Bolton: Chemical attacks in Syria will face a stronger response. The Syrian government has always denied the use of chemical weapons or claims that the evidence in this regard is 'fabricated.' The Russian ambassador to the U.S. called for 'immediate evidence' regarding the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government and stated, 'We have expressed our most serious concerns regarding the messages sent by the U.S. side, which apparently indicate preparations for new attacks under the pretext of 'chemical weapon use' by [the Syrian] government.' Previously, the UN had made accusations regarding the use of chemical weapons against the Syrian government and the Islamic State group, including attacks in 2014 and 2015 or another report from last November that accused Bashar al-Assad's government of a chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun.