Wahid Salemi/AP/File
Iran’s president-elect Masoud Beseshkian, a 69-year-old trained heart surgeon and lawmaker, defeated his hard-line rival Saeed Jalili in Iran’s presidential election last week.
CNN
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of Iran President-elect Masoud Beseshkian said he expects to improve relations with Europe, despite accusing the continent of backing away from pledges to mitigate the impact of US sanctions.
“Despite these missteps, I look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue with European countries to set our relations on the right track based on mutual respect and equal standing,” Pezeshkian wrote in the English-language Tehran Times newspaper.
“There are many areas of cooperation to explore once European powers come to terms with this reality, set aside self-righteous moral hegemony, and address the productive crises that have long plagued our relations,” Pezeshkian said.
In 2018, under then-President Donald Trump, the US withdrew Major nuclear dealFormally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – the move was later “deeply regretted” by the EU, UK, France and Germany – and reimposed sanctions.
Beseshikian said European countries have made 11 pledges to Iran “trying to save the deal and reduce the impact of the US’s illegal and unilateral sanctions on our economy.”
“European countries have reneged on all of these commitments, but unfairly expect Iran to unilaterally fulfill all of its obligations under the JCPOA,” he added.
He said the commitments included “ensuring effective banking transactions, effectively protecting companies from US sanctions and promoting investments in Iran”.
Pezeshkian, 69, is a trained heart surgeon and lawmaker. He won the presidential election in Iran Last Saturday, he defeated Seyed Jalili, Iran’s former nuclear negotiator, in a key vote amid heightened domestic and international tensions.
The reformist favors dialogue with Iran’s enemies, particularly its nuclear program, and sees it as a means of solving the country’s domestic problems.
“I want to stress that Iran’s security doctrine does not include nuclear weapons, and I want to urge the United States to learn from past miscalculations and adjust its policy accordingly,” Beseshkian wrote.
“Decision-makers in Washington must recognize that the policy of pitting regional countries against each other has not succeeded and will not succeed in the future,” he added.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, has the final say on all matters of state. Beseshkian would eventually defer to Khamenei, who condemned those who sought to improve relations with the West on foreign policy matters.
