Rouhani and America's Readiness for Unconditional Negotiation

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated on Tuesday during the presentation of credentials by Robert Macaire, the new British ambassador in Tehran, that Iran is not seeking to create "problems" in global waterways, but will not "easily give up" its "right" to oil exports. He added that Iran has "never sought tension in the region." Last month, Rouhani made statements that were interpreted as threats to close the Strait of Hormuz: once during a trip to Switzerland when he mentioned the possibility of closing the Strait if the U.S. attempted to completely halt Iran's oil exports; and again in Tehran when he said that besides closing the Strait of Hormuz, which is a simple method, controlling other straits is also possible for Iran. Maziar Norbakhsh, an international relations professor at Harrisburg University, stated that Rouhani's remarks on Tuesday have two objectives: one is to alleviate international concerns and the second is to welcome Donald Trump's announcement a day earlier about his readiness to negotiate unconditionally with Iran. Trump stated on Monday at a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte at the White House that he is ready to meet with Rouhani without any conditions. Meanwhile, Alireza Haghighi, a Middle East studies instructor in Toronto, mentioned that Rouhani's statements are not a direct response to Trump's readiness for unconditional negotiations but create conditions for considering Washington's proposal within the framework of policymaking at the discretion of Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran. On the other hand, Davood Hermidas Bavand, a senior international relations professor in Tehran, said that the recent statements by the Iranian and American presidents may not mean an immediate resolution of tensions. However, he believes that avoiding negotiations is not in the interest of either Iran or the U.S. Rouhani also mentioned in his meeting with the new British ambassador that after the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, the ball is in Europe's court. Robert Macaire described the efforts of European countries to maintain the JCPOA, especially in the economic sphere, as "extensive" and "unprecedented." However, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has previously stated that Tehran is dissatisfied with the European package offered to Iran, adding that Europe's commitment to the JCPOA is not enough. Following the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA in May, Iran has repeatedly stated that the condition for continuing its commitment to the nuclear agreement is the provision of Iran's economic interests under the JCPOA, including the possibility of oil sales. Now it remains to be seen what impact the recent statements by Rouhani and Trump will have on Iran's struggling economy and what consequences they will have for Iran's oil exports, especially since Washington has promised that sanctions on Iranian oil will be implemented starting November 4.