New US government should use Iran’s capacity to ensure peace, security: MP

It would be better for the new US administration to compromise with the Islamic Republic, as an important and influential regional country, and use Iran’s capacity to ensure peace and security in the region and the world, said an MP.

Lotfollah Siahkali made the remarks in reaction to Joe Biden’s victory in the November 3 US presidential elections, speaking in an exclusive interview with Iran Daily.

He added that the US needs Iran’s energy in the region and seeks to align the world’s powerful countries, such as China and Russia, with its policies.

The US requires Iran to meet its energy needs and secure peace and stability in the region, the lawmaker said, calling on Washington to step forth honestly and change its policies toward Iran.

Siahkali stressed that the US is on the decline, no longer the world’s sole power, saying this has been proven, at least during the term of the incumbent president, Donald Trump, when the world refrained from accompanying the White House in the implementation of its policies.

Thus, he said, it would be better for the US to stop bullying, adopt a humanitarian approach based on democracy and international humanitarian principles —two issues it claims to promote — and act on this basis and respect other countries’ rights.

Commenting on US strategies against Iran during the past four decades, he noted that Washington’s policies toward Tehran in the past forty years has never changed, remaining hostile all the time.

“This comes as there has been no difference between the Democrats and Republicans throughout this period.”

The coming to power of any of the two parties has always been followed by the adoption of similar hostile policies toward Iran, he emphasized.

“At present, we maintain that with the entry of the Democrats into the White House no significant change will be witnessed in Washington’s approach toward Tehran. We hold that there is no difference between Biden and Trump.”

As its main strategy, the US always seeks to maintain its hegemony in the world, being the sole superpower within the international community, he said.

The MP added that this comes as the two main political parties in the US use different methods and techniques.

“For instance, when someone like Trump comes to power, he moves ahead with US macro-policies by employing a bullying approach, a method which causes the US to lose global consensus.”

“As we witnessed, Trump pulled the US out of many international conventions and treaties and did not comply with international regulations, which resulted in the world’s refraining from cooperating with Washington in the enactment of its policies. In fact, Trump showed the world the real face of the US.”

However, he added, the Democrats’ method is completely different: They seek to develop a global consensus and align the international community with themselves and thus adjust their policies to those of the rest of the world.

“The Democrats’ words and actions, nevertheless, do not match. In fact, while they pursue the same bullying policies, they pretend that they are after friendly ties and interaction with other countries.”

Being hypocritical in nature, the Democrats’ approach and method is very dangerous, he warned, calling on other countries, including Iran, to beware of Washington’s seditious moves.

The lawmaker said although the likes of Biden try to pass themselves off as supporters of humanitarianism, in practice, they pursue the same arrogant policies always adopted by the US.

As witnessed in the case of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), although the Democrats agreed with Iran on its nuclear issue, they did not fulfill any of their commitments.

The JCPOA was signed between Iran and the P5+1 in July 2015. However, Trump, who has constantly criticized the JCPOA, describing it as the “worst deal ever,” pulled the US out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed Washington’s unilateral sanctions on Tehran as part of his “maximum pressure” campaign against the Islamic Republic. Mainly targeting Iran’s oil and banking sectors, the sanctions aimed to cripple the Iranian economy, a plot which was foiled in light of the Iranian people’s resistance. The signing of the JCPOA was supposed to be followed by a number of reciprocal steps to be taken by Iran and the P5+1, with the former limiting its nuclear activities and the latter removing the UN sanctions imposed previously on Tehran, allowing the country to sell oil and receive its money.

Following the US withdrawal from the deal and given the European sides’ incapability of fulfilling their JCPOA commitments, Iran placed on the agenda a phased reduction of its obligations under the deal. In January 2020, the Islamic Republic took the last step toward reducing its JCPOA commitments and announced that it would no longer accept any limitations on its nuclear activities.

Tehran has, however, frequently announced that it would reverse its steps if the other parties to the deal fulfill their commitments according to the agreement.

In his stump speeches over the course of his presidential election campaign, Biden promised to bring the US back to the JCPOA in case of notching up victory.

On November 3, the US presidential elections were held and ended in Biden’s victory. Trump, however, has yet to concede to his democratic rival, preventing a smooth transition. He claims that the election was “rigged,” which resulted in rallies by his supporters. Trump’s campaign has filed a flurry of lawsuits in battleground states, although election officials in both parties have said they see no evidence of serious irregularities. On November 21, a federal judge issued a blistering order dismissing the Trump campaign’s fruitless efforts to block the certification of votes in Pennsylvania, while not accepting claims of widespread fraud with mailin ballots.