Zarif's Response to Trump's Remarks: Iran Will Remain a Powerful Regional Actor

Iran's Foreign Minister reacted to U.S. President Trump's statement regarding the potential collapse of the Islamic Republic by asserting that "Iran has always been and will continue to be a stable, powerful, and responsible regional actor." Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on his Twitter: "The dual Iranophobia that simultaneously portrays Iran as conquering the Middle East or fighting for survival is a sign of America's perceptual disorder on one hand and the deception resulting from the collapse of America's moral compass on the other. Iran has always been a stable, powerful, and responsible regional actor and will continue to be." Donald Trump, in an interview with Bloomberg, stated that at the beginning of his presidency, the question was when the Islamic Republic would "take over the Middle East. Now the question is whether they will even survive. This has changed significantly in a year and a half." Bloomberg reported that Trump did not elaborate further on this matter. On August 6, the U.S. President signed an order announcing that part of the sanctions against the Islamic Republic, which had been suspended after the nuclear deal, would be reinstated. The second round of these sanctions, which primarily targets Iran's oil industry, is set to come into effect on November 4, and U.S. officials claim they are working to reduce Iran's oil exports to zero by that time. Prior to the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, the dollar's price began to rise, even reaching 12,000 tomans. The increase in the dollar's price has affected other economic indicators in Iran and has sparked protests in several cities. According to the Central Bank, the monthly inflation rate for August was 5.5 percent, a figure not seen in the past 20 years. The last time a monthly inflation rate higher than 5.5 percent was recorded was in April 1999, when it reached 5.9 percent. Additionally, the Research Center of the Iranian Parliament predicted that the economic growth rate this year would decrease to between negative 0.5 and negative 2.8 percent, down from 3.7 percent last year. Meanwhile, Hamid Baidi Nejad, Iran's ambassador in London, noted in his Telegram channel regarding the statements of the U.S. President and Secretary of State that "they intend to incite the people against the Iranian government through pressure and sanctions, thereby overthrowing the Iranian regime." Trump's recent comments about the potential "collapse of the regime" come at a time when at least two U.S. officials, including Defense Secretary James Mattis, have emphasized that the U.S. government is not seeking regime change in Iran. Trump has also suggested direct talks with Iranian officials multiple times, but Ayatollah Khamenei has stated that he will not allow these negotiations to take place.