White House Rejects Resumption of Nuclear Talks After Iran Elections

The White House states that it does not expect a change in the behavior of the Islamic Republic after the election of Masoud Pezeshkian as the new president. John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council, said in a conversation with reporters on Monday, July 9, that the Iranian government still supports 'terrorist groups' such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Houthi militants. Kirby also referred to the sending of drones and drone specialists from Iran to Russia for use in the Ukraine war, stating, 'With this support, Russia is killing civilians as seen in recent attacks in Ukraine.' On the same day, Masoud Pezeshkian emphasized in a message to Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah Lebanon, that the government's support for what he called 'resistance groups' would 'continue with strength.' In response to a question about whether the U.S. is prepared to resume nuclear negotiations with the new Iranian president, Kirby replied, 'No.' He noted Pezeshkian's election, saying, 'We will have to see what he does, but we do not expect a change in Iran's behavior.' This comes despite Pezeshkian describing himself as a defender of the JCPOA during his election campaign. In the first debate with Saeed Jalili before the second round of elections, he responded to criticisms from his opponent regarding the agreement, saying, 'We fought internally to prevent the JCPOA from being implemented. When you negotiate, you give something and take something; it is not the case that you take everything.' Jalili and other conservative rivals of Pezeshkian blamed Hassan Rouhani's government for the JCPOA and viewed the victory of the reformist-supported candidate as a precursor to the formation of a 'third Rouhani government.' Meanwhile, Mohammad Javad Zarif, the former foreign minister of the Islamic Republic under Rouhani, who was active as a supporter of Pezeshkian, stated in a live television program before the first round of elections that 'we could have revived the JCPOA many times so that people would not suffer in misery.' Since the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA during Donald Trump's presidency in 2018, this important agreement, aimed at limiting the scope of Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of some sanctions against the country, has collapsed.