Javad Zarif, Iran’s Foreign Minister said he finds Joe Biden’s campaign “more promising” for Iran in an interview with CBS News this week.
“The statements by the Biden camp have been more promising, but we will have to wait and see. What counts is the behavior,” said Zarif when asked which candidate looked better to him.
The Biden campaign has made indications that it may reconsider discussions on the Iranian nuclear deal, which President Trump withdrew from in May of 2018.
In an effort to put pressure on Iran's regime, the Trump administration also levied heavy and targeted sanctions on Iranian business sectors close to the regime and its weapons and technology programs.
The sanctions Trump put on Iran have hurt Iran but have not produced regime change or “[brought] Iran to its knees,” according to Zarif.
Zarif explained that Iran does not want a new nuclear deal but would like the U.S. to “rejoin the deal” that Trump rejected.
Zarif emphasized that “under no circumstances” would Iran pursue a new nuclear deal with a potential Biden administration, claiming that Iran would have negotiated a new deal with President Trump if they wanted to.
“We can find a way to reengage, obviously. But reengagement does not mean renegotiation. It means the U.S. coming back to the negotiating table,” said Zarif.
Zarif denied previously reported allegations by the FBI that Iran obtained U.S. voter registration information and meddled in the 2020 election.
