The president of Iran insisted on Wednesday that his nation is serious about renewing a deal designed to keep it from obtaining a nuclear weapon, but he expressed doubt about Tehran's ability to put its faith in Washington's dedication to any final agreement.
President Ebrahim Raisi said in his address to the U.N. General Assembly that the U.S. had already "trampled" on a prior agreement by leaving the agreement in 2018.
Tehran has been at war with Washington ever since the 1979 Iranian revolution that toppled the country's Western-backed ruler and sought to portray itself as a counterweight to American dominance.
Tehran has developed strong relations with nations like Russia in response to the United States' pressure, developed a domestic ballistic missile program, and tried to export its limited revolutionary goals to nations throughout the Middle East using Shiite militias and proxies.
Iran's nuclear program, which it claims is for non-militaristic energy needs, is seen as a continuation of its opposition to a global order dominated by the United States.
The Obama administration's nuclear enrichment restrictions on Tehran were gradually lifted after former US President Donald Trump pulled out of the agreement.
However, attempts to save the deal are now on the verge of a take-it-or-leave-it turning point. Officials from the European Union have issued a warning that time is running out to negotiate a nuclear agreement.
Iran would be relieved of economic sanctions in exchange for accepting the conditions of the new nuclear agreement, and it would also be given more access to international financial markets and the flow of US money.
In the nuclear talks, Raisi remarked, "There is a great and sincere will to address all difficulties," but he added, "Our wish is only one thing: adherence of promises."
Changes in American foreign policy under successive administrations have concerned not only Iran, but also U.S. allies who have questioned America's dependability and its commitment to agreements, ranging from climate to security. He asked of the U.S., "Can we truly trust without guarantees and assurances that they will this time live up to their commitment?"
Raisi denounced what he called unbalanced scrutiny of Iran's nuclear operations while other nations' atomic programs remain hidden, making a specific reference to Israel, which has never confirmed nor denied having such weapons, even as he voiced a willingness to achieve a solution. Israel, a fierce opponent of the nuclear agreement, charges Iran with hiding elements of its nuclear program from U.N. inspectors.
U.S. President Joe Biden stated in his own speech at the U.N. that "We will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon," but he also emphasized that the U.S. is prepared to rejoin the agreement if Iran increases its commitments.
Raisi, who formerly served as Iran's judiciary's top official, also criticized the "double standards" applied to human rights by the West. He claimed that Israel's siege of the Palestinian Gaza Strip has resulted in the creation of the greatest prison in the world.
He also mentioned the discovery of Indigenous mass graves in Canada and the way the United States holds migrants and refugees at its southern border.
Raisi held up a picture of the assassinated Gen. Qassem Soleimani, whom he referred to as a "freedom-seeking man," while sporting the customary black turban worn by Shiite priests. At the height of tensions with Iran in 2020, an attack ordered by Trump resulted in the death of the Revolutionary Guard chief who controlled Iranian militias and proxy armed groups in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and elsewhere.
It has been said that Raisi, who took office as president just a year ago, is a protégé of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. At the United Nations, he delivered his first speech while serving as president. Due to COVID-19 limitations, he spoke to the crowd virtually the previous year.
He said Iran wants to have "extensive relations with all our neighbors," apparently referring to its adversary Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations in the area. He was speaking to the leaders present.
The past year has seen a number of direct meetings between Saudi Arabia and Iran, although tensions between the two countries are still very high. The UAE recently reopened its embassy in Tehran and dispatched an ambassador there.
The timing of Raisi's speech is problematic in Iran.
Israel's covert conflict with Iran is still going on. It is generally accepted that it was responsible for the murder of Iranian nuclear scientists and sabotage attacks on Iran's nuclear program.
Meanwhile, Iranian reserves have been depleted, inflation has gotten worse, and the value of the rial relative to the dollar has decreased as a result of Western sanctions, which Raisi called "punishment on the people of Iran."
Economic protests have gotten out of control and are frequently met with deadly force.
The death of a 22-year-old woman who was detained by the morality police for allegedly breaking the Islamic Republic's rigidly enforced dress code has recently sparked protests against the police in places all around the nation, including the capital. Iranians witnessed a nearly complete internet blackout on Wednesday.
Raisi has expressed sympathy to the woman's family and pledged an investigation; other Iranian authorities, however, have said that unnamed foreign nations are using the tragedy to sow unrest. Many Iranians, especially young people, have grown increasingly angry at the country's ruling clergy as a result of her death.
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