MP: Govt. must not repeat mistake of negotiating with US

MP: Govt. must not repeat mistake of negotiating with US 

An Iranian lawmaker has cautioned administration officials against bringing up the issue of direct negotiations with the United States again, saying such a mistake during the ex-president’s terms promoted Iran’s allies to distance themselves from the country. 

Ahmad Rastineh reacted to recent comments by Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who said Iran would consider direct talks with Washington if negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear deal reached an advanced stage that required such dialog. 

“One of the mistakes made in the administration of [former President] Hassan Rouhani was that they used to think they could solve the problems via direct talks with the US, but such negotiations instead filled the Islamic Republic’s allies with doubt over cooperation with our country,” he said. 

The lawmaker warned, “We should not repeat the Rouhani-era mistake by bringing up the issue of direct negotiation with the US again. If officials believe they can safeguard and fulfill the country’s interests this way, they are making a strategic mistake.” 

He said the Rouhani administration wrongly thought that it could serve the country’s interests through “political give and take.” 

Putting trust in the US during Rouhani’s eight-year tenure, however, kept Iran’s resources and capacities in wait and created frustration among the youth over the country’s growth and progress, Rastineh added. 

He said talks with Washington also enabled the European states to stop shouldering their responsibilities under the 2015 nuclear agreement and offered the global domineering system an opportunity to exert even more pressure on Iran.