Rouhani's Op-Ed in Washington Post: Trump's Negotiation Proposal is Insincere

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, in an op-ed published in the Washington Post, described his American counterpart's proposal for negotiations as insincere, stating that the claim of the U.S. government supporting the Iranian people while imposing sanctions is "empty and hypocritical." Rouhani's note was published on Friday afternoon, September 21, just before his trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, addressing the issue of the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement, its consequences, and Iran's decisions regarding it. The Persian text of this note was simultaneously published in domestic news agencies in Iran, starting with a description of the U.S. exit from the JCPOA on May 8, 2018. Rouhani wrote that at that moment he faced "two choices": first, Iran could also exit the JCPOA, which he claimed would lead to "greater insecurity and instability in the region," and second, giving a few weeks' deadline to the remaining members of the JCPOA to compensate for the consequences of the U.S. withdrawal. Iran remains in the nuclear agreement, and reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency indicate that it has fulfilled its commitments so far. However, Rouhani continued in his note that "the U.S. prediction was that after leaving the JCPOA, Iran would also exit it, allowing them to easily form a global coalition against Iran and reinstate all sanctions, but our action of giving a limited opportunity to Europe disrupted U.S. calculations." European powers, along with China and Russia, continue to emphasize the continuation of the nuclear agreement, which Rouhani interpreted as "the isolation of the U.S.". In the continuation of this note, Rouhani addressed Donald Trump's proposal for direct and unconditional negotiations with Iranian officials, stating that this proposal is "not sincere." He wrote: "Should we believe his proposal or the words of his Secretary of State, who considers the fulfillment of certain points as a condition for dialogue with Iran, which is perceived as a blatant insult to the Iranian nation? Moreover, how can we trust the U.S. when it withdraws from its international commitments and the Security Council resolution it initiated and threatens other countries with punishment for implementing that resolution?" Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, set twelve conditions for reaching another agreement with Iran about two weeks after the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, including halting Iran's ballistic missile program, stopping uranium enrichment, and not supporting groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. However, shortly thereafter, Donald Trump stated that he was willing to negotiate without preconditions with Iranian leaders, a proposal that Tehran rejected. In another part of this note, Rouhani rejected U.S. officials' statements regarding support for the Iranian people against the Islamic Republic, calling it "hypocritical." He wrote: "What justification is there for imposing sanctions and creating hardships for the Iranian people, including access to medicine or depriving the Iranian nation of purchasing passenger planes that significantly impact flight safety? It seems that the U.S. government is seeking revenge on the Iranian nation, and it is clear that its claim of support for the Iranian people is completely empty and hypocritical." Washington has previously rejected the Iranian officials' statements regarding the sanctions on medicine for the Iranian people. For instance, Brian Hook, the U.S. Special Representative for Iran, has tried to assure that U.S. sanctions "never include humanitarian cases and will not cover food and medicine." However, a statement released by Idris Jazairy, the UN Special Rapporteur, described the sanctions as "unjust and harmful," stating that the current conditions are so ambiguous that Iran can no longer import its essential goods, which could lead to a shortage of medicine and "the silent death of millions of patients in hospitals." Nevertheless, Rouhani emphasized in his note that if the other parties to the JCPOA can do something to secure Iran's interests, Tehran will remain in the JCPOA; otherwise, it will pursue another method. He then added that he is confident that "the U.S. will be forced to change its approach." U.S. sanctions have had a severe impact on Iran's economy, leading to a collapse of the national currency against the U.S. dollar to about fifteen thousand tomans.