Trump Says Iran's Situation and Economy Are Rapidly Deteriorating

The President of the United States recently tweeted that Iran's situation and its economy are rapidly worsening. Trump also added that whether or not he meets with Iranian officials is not important and depends on them. On August 5, Donald Trump wrote on his Twitter account: 'Iran, and its economy, are rapidly deteriorating. Whether I meet or do not meet is not important - it depends on them.' During a press conference in Italy on August 8, in response to a question about whether he is willing to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, he said: 'I am definitely ready' to meet with the Iranian president if he is willing, and this meeting would be 'without any conditions.' The day after that, he expressed: 'I feel that they will soon engage in dialogue with us. They may not do it, and that’s okay too.' On August 11, the U.S. president also expressed hope that matters between Iran and the U.S. would proceed well. Trump stated during a speech in Pennsylvania: 'I withdrew the U.S. from the terrible and very costly nuclear deal with Iran that was ineffective. I hope everything goes well between us and Iran. But I tell you, (Iran) is a very different country now compared to four months ago.' Trump's remarks about meeting with Islamic Republic officials have elicited reactions among them. On one hand, some of these officials have called for 'reflection' on this proposal; Iran's Foreign Ministry stated, 'Negotiation has conditions and requirements that have not been seen in the words and actions of Mr. Trump and his colleagues so far,' and the commander of the Revolutionary Guards stated that the U.S. 'will never see such a day.' However, the leader and president of the Islamic Republic have not yet reacted to these statements. On May 8, the U.S. president announced that his government was withdrawing from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between Iran, the U.S., Europe, China, and Russia. He instructed his agencies, including the U.S. Treasury Department, to begin the process of reinstating sanctions that had been lifted following the nuclear agreement. The U.S. Treasury Department also published guidelines under which sanctions against Iran would be reinstated within 90-day and 180-day deadlines. Monday, August 6, is the date for the reinstatement of the first part of these sanctions. The economic situation in Iran has led to protests and gatherings in various cities in recent months. The latest round of these protests began a few days ago and continues. Although it seems that the economic situation is the main spark for the protests, there have been strong slogans against senior officials of the Islamic Republic, including Ayatollah Khamenei, institutions under his supervision, or Iran's presence in regional countries, as well as slogans in support of the Pahlavi kings.