Hassan Rowhani’s election as Iran’s next president has inspired hope of reform in his country, and of a more pragmatic relationship between Iran and the world. But the hard-liners who control the Islamic Republic's nuclear and regional policies have not gone away.
WASHINGTON, DC – On June 17, at his first press conference as Iran’s President-elect, Hassan Rowhani broke little new ground in the Islamic Republic’s relations with the West. On nuclear policy, he said that the “era of suspension is over”: Iran will not accept the suspension of uranium enrichment in upcoming negotiations but will seek to make its nuclear activities more transparent in order to build international confidence. Moreover, Iran would welcome direct negotiations with the United States if the US stopped attempting to meddle in Iran’s internal affairs and abandoned its “bullying attitude.”
WASHINGTON, DC – On June 17, at his first press conference as Iran’s President-elect, Hassan Rowhani broke little new ground in the Islamic Republic’s relations with the West. On nuclear policy, he said that the “era of suspension is over”: Iran will not accept the suspension of uranium enrichment in upcoming negotiations but will seek to make its nuclear activities more transparent in order to build international confidence. Moreover, Iran would welcome direct negotiations with the United States if the US stopped attempting to meddle in Iran’s internal affairs and abandoned its “bullying attitude.”