Raeisi’s refusal to meet Biden sends ‘strong’ signal: Professor tells Press TV
An Iranian university professor and political expert says President-elect Ebrahim Raeisi’s making clear that he will not meet with US President Joe Biden serves as a “strong” message for Washington and its allies.
“We now have someone who will be the president, who shows no interest in meeting Biden,” Mohammad Marandi told Press TV in an interview on Monday.
“I think that sends a strong signal. The Iranians are quite willing to implement the nuclear deal, but are not going to wait for the Americans. We’re not going to wait forever,” he said.
“…Iran is going to move on,” the expert said, adding if the opposite side would not be willing to change its stance towards Iran, “then Iran will move towards establishing closer ties with those countries, whose doors are open.”
The professor also speculated that under Raeisi, Iran would be looking to either forge or further alliances “in East Asia and the Global South, in Central Asia, Russia, and China.”
“I think that’s going to be where he (Raeisi) will be looking with more interest, rather than towards the United States and the Europeans,” Marandi said.
His remarks came after Raeisi’s first press briefing since the Judiciary chief’s victory in the country’s presidential elections on Friday.
Raeisi said in the address that he did not seek to take Iran out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a 2015 nuclear agreement between the country and others.
Fresh talks have resumed since April in order to potentially revitalize the deal, which has suffered a great deal due to the US’s withdrawal from it in 2018 and its returning of the sanctions that the deal had lifted.
Washington has so far stopped short of taking the measures that could restore the agreement, namely renew its participation in the accord and lift the economic measures.
Raeisi asserted that his government would not tie the country’s domestic situation to the fate of the nuclear deal and its revival, clearly indicating that Tehran would not hold off on its plans for the sake of Washington or any other foreign party for that matter.
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