WASHINGTON: The United States has said that it did not expect policy changes from Iran after voters elected reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, and downplayed chances to resume talks. US National Security Council spokesperson has said that there was no decision yet to negotiate with Iran despite the election of a new president in Iran. At the White House, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, asked if the US was ready to resume nuclear talks with Iran, said categorically, “No.” Kirby said that they will see what this person wants to get done, but they are not expecting any changes in Tehran’s behavior.
Similarly, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that the US has no expectation that this election will lead to a fundamental change in Iran’s policies.
“Clearly, if the new president of Iran had the power to make measures to curtail Iran’s nuclear program, to stop funding terrorism, to stop destabilizing activities in the region, those would be measures that we would welcome,” Miller stated. However, we don’t have any expectation that that’s what’s likely to ensue,” he remarked.
Asked if Washington was at least willing to reopen diplomacy with Tehran after Pezeshkian’s election, Miller said: “We have always said that diplomacy is the most effective way to achieve an effective, sustainable solution with regard to Tehran’s nuclear program.”
Biden took office in 2021 with hopes of returning to a 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran that was negotiated under ex-president Barack Obama and trashed by Donald Trump, who imposed sweeping sanctions on Tehran.
