President Rouhani: Iran Not Excited by Biden’s Election

“Some say we are much excited for Biden’s win; no, we are not excited but we are very happy for Trump’s departure,” President Rouhani said, addressing a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday.

He expressed the hope that the next US administration would hear the voice of the American people that call for the rule of law and loyalty to undertakings, and noted, “We want security and stability in the entire world and constructive interaction with the countries willing to choose the path of interaction.”

President Rouhani compared Iran’s conditions now with 2015 when the nuclear deal was signed, and said the country is now self-sufficient in manufacturing and supplying many products, including wheat, and is now exporting gasoline, gasoil and gas.

“The conditions today are very different from that day and cannot be compared,” he said.

In relevant remarks last Wednesday, President Rouhani said that Biden can return to the nuclear deal and implement its undertakings in a very short time similar to President Donald Trump's rush to exit the agreement, stressing that no renegotiation on the internationally-endorsed agreement is needed.

“Whenever the 5+1 or 4+1 fulfill all the obligations, we will return to all our obligations. It does not take time at all to go back to the past; it just needs will. How did the nuclear deal’s leg was broken? The illiterate businessman (Trump) scribbled a piece of paper and said that he has left the nuclear deal. All right, now the next person (president) can come and bring a good piece of paper and sign it. Requires a signature. It does not require time and negotiation at all,” President Rouhani said, addressing a cabinet meeting in Tehran.

He referred to different problems created for Iran by the US sanctions, and said, “Of course, any (coronavirus) vaccine we want to buy, we have to send a hundred curses to Trump.”

“They have created so many problems and what could be solved with a phone we have to deal with for weeks and months. These people who are in the White House and are spending their last days are so evil that they did not show mercy to the health of people, the old men and the disabled. They have committed the most corrupt behaviors,” President Rouhani said.

He also lashed out at the European states for defying their undertakings under the nuclear deal, and said Iran’s decision to install IR2M centrifuges at Natanz is no new move and is in line with Iran’s already declared decision to decrease its nuclear deal undertakings in response to the other sides’ disloyalty.

“We have always said that we will do something reversible. We can launch 10,000 centrifuges but whenever we want, we will turn them off one hour or half an hour later,” President Rouhani underlined.

Iranian Government Spokesman Ali Rabiyee had also last week underlined the need for Washington to remove the sanctions on his nation for rejoining the nuclear deal, saying that Tehran will not participate in any meeting to renegotiate the internationally-endorsed agreement.

“We expect the US to reverse all the destructive trends as quickly as Trump did, and without any preconditions. The next US administration knows very well what it should do to reassure Iran and what harmful actions it can avoid that could harm diplomacy. Substantially, it is not possible to consider new negotiations until the US returns to the point where it has departed from its undertakings,” Rabiyee told reporters in a press conference.

“In our view, the negotiations on the nuclear deal are over and there are no plans for new negotiations that need to be restructured. The only thing left today is the return of all parties to their undertakings under the agreement, and this is not a complicated issue,” he added.

Rabiyee also welcomed Japan’s proposal to play a more effective role in any possible talks between Iran and the western states.

Elsewhere, he referred to Iran’s installation of new centrifuges in Natanz nuclear site under the supervision of the UN nuclear watchdog, and said, “Iran's move to install 500 centrifuges in Natanz had long been anticipated in line with the (declared) reduction of its nuclear deal undertakings parallel with the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal.”

Rabiyee said that the new centrifuges are of IR2M type and enjoy 6 times more power for enrichment.