Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Iran Candidate Says He’s Willing to Potentially Meet Biden
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 3 years ago on
June 9, 2021

Share

TEHRAN — A prominent Iranian presidential candidate said Wednesday he’d be willing to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden if he wins his country’s election next week, though “America needs to send better and stronger signals” to the Islamic Republic.

Speaking to The Associated Press, former Iranian Central Bank chief Abdolnasser Hemmati stressed that an American return to Iran’s tattered nuclear deal was key to any possible relationship amid the wider tensions in the Mideast.

“I think we haven’t seen anything serious from Mr. Biden’s side yet,” Hemmati said. “They first need to go back to the (nuclear deal) that they withdrew from. If we see the process and more confidence is built, then we can talk about that.”

Candidate Hemmati Behind Front-Runner Raisi

Hemmati, 64, is one of the seven candidates approved by Iranian authorities to run for the presidency in the Islamic Republic’s June 18 election. Polling and analysts suggest he lags in the race behind hard-line judiciary chief and front-runner Ebrahim Raisi, believed to be a favorite of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

While Khamenei has final say on all matters of state, whoever serves as president can affect domestic issues and set the tone for Iran’s broader approach with the world. Outgoing President Hassan Rouhani, a relatively moderate cleric within Iran’s theocracy, helped his nation reach its landmark 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

However, Rouhani has struggled with the fallout of then-President Donald Trump’s decision to unilaterally withdraw America from the accord in 2018. That’s seen crushing sanctions target Iran and Tehran later abandoned all the limits on its nuclear program. It now enriches small amounts of uranium to 60% purity — a record high, though still short of weapons-grade levels of 90%.

While Hemmati has been at pains to distance himself from Rouhani due to the cleric’s unpopularity over the nuclear deal’s collapse, he’s viewed widely as being the candidate who would carry out similarly moderate policies within the theocracy.

Hemmati Urging for Stronger Signals from the U.S.

Talking to AP journalists at his Tehran office, Hemmati repeatedly said that the signal Iranians hoped to see from the U.S. was Washington’s return to the nuclear deal. A visit with Biden also would hinge on it being “within the framework of the general policies of the ruling system,” he said.

“The Americans have sent positive signals but those signals haven’t been strong enough,” he said. “If there are stronger signals, it will affect how optimistic or pessimistic we are.”

Asked about whether Iran would be willing to accept further restrictions, such as on its ballistic missile program to get sanctions relief, Hemmati said Tehran would refuse such an offer.

“Iran’s nuclear commitments must be inside the framework of the (deal),” he said. “If they are not, neither the (supreme) leader nor the president will accept that.”

The White House declined to comment on Hemmati’s remarks to the AP.

The U.S. had a close relationship with Iran’s Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, hosting the monarch for visits with presidents from Harry S. Truman to Jimmy Carter. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution toppled the shah’s government, relations strained and then broke with the U.S. Embassy hostage crisis in Tehran.

In the time since, Iranian leaders have taken pains to avoid Americans, even using different hallways at the United Nations so as to not bump into each other. That relationship slightly warmed during negotiations for the nuclear deal. Rouhani had a telephone conversation with then-President Barack Obama in 2013. A face-to-face meeting, however, has not happened.

Economics a Cornerstone of Hemmati’s Campaign

As the former Central Bank chief, Hemmati, has made economics a cornerstone of his campaign. During two televised presidential debates, he’s repeatedly mentioned the challenges facing Iranians, who have seen their life savings evaporate due to the rapid devaluation of the country’s rial currency. Inflation remains in the double digits, while good jobs remain scarce.

If the talks in Vienna over the nuclear deal fail, Hemmati said he would manage that as president.

“We managed to neutralize the sanctions and run the economy over the past three years of difficult sanctions,” he said. “Definitely I have plans for that (scenario) as well, but we will try to help the deal reach positive results, God willing.”

He didn’t elaborate on those plans. The sanctions also have shut off Iran’s ability to openly sell crude oil on the world market, further cutting into an industry vital to government budgets.

He’s also repeatedly brought up both internet censorship, as well as Iranian women receiving threatening text messages from authorities over not strictly following the country’s mandatory head-covering, or hijab, law. That’s a way for him to criticize Raisi as the judiciary handles hijab-related offenses.

Hemmati kept up his criticism of the text messages, saying it put women under “social and mental stress.”

“I believe that our people are Muslims,” Hemmati said. “People have beliefs and they can observe it themselves better.”

Voter Turnout and Interest in Election Expected to Hit a Historic Low

It remains unclear how the election will go, particularly on the issue of turnout. The state-linked Iranian Student Polling Agency has projected a 38% turnout from the country’s 59 million eligible voters, which would be a historic low amid a lack of enthusiasm by voters and the coronavirus pandemic. Officials have been trying to boost interest in the election as they see turnout as a sign of confidence in the theocracy since 1979.

Within Iran, candidates exist on a political spectrum that broadly includes hard-liners who want to expand Iran’s nuclear program and confront the world, moderates who hold onto the status quo and reformists who want to change the theocracy from within.

Asked about his chances, Hemmati offered an optimistic assessment despite polling suggesting Raisi held the advantage in a race that includes five hard-liners, a little-known reformist and himself.

“Against those five people who belong to the same political front, I don’t count them as rivals,” Hemmati said. “My rival is the people’s breakup with the ballot box.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Man Found Dead in Fresno’s Roeding Park Identified as Bay Area Resident

DON'T MISS

Fresno Authorities Search for Domestic Violence Suspect Considered Armed and Dangerous

DON'T MISS

NBA Memo to Players Warns About Organized Home Break-Ins

DON'T MISS

Fresno School Employees Say District’s Job Shifts Endanger Kids and Staff

DON'T MISS

Assemblymember Arambula Says He’ll Run for Fresno City Council

DON'T MISS

Business, Environmental Interests Oppose South Fresno Industrial Plan. What’s Next?

DON'T MISS

Take a Bow, Bulldog Football Fans. Some Power 4 Schools Would Love to Have You.

DON'T MISS

Community Hospital CEO Craig Castro Will Retire in Early 2025

DON'T MISS

Conor McGregor Must Pay Woman $250K in Sexual Assault Case, Civil Jury Rules

DON'T MISS

Judge Delays Trump Hush Money Sentencing in Order to Decide Where Case Should Go Now

UP NEXT

Many in Gaza Are Eating Just Once a Day, as Hunger Spreads Amid Aid Issues

UP NEXT

Norwegian Student Arrested on Charges of Spying on US for Russia

UP NEXT

A Proposed Deal on Climate Cash at UN Summit Highlights Split Between Rich and Poor Nations

UP NEXT

Northern California Gets Record Rain and Heavy Snow. Many Have Been in the Dark for Days in Seattle

UP NEXT

North Korean Leader Says Past Diplomacy Only Confirmed US Hostility

UP NEXT

Putin Says Russia Has Tested a New Intermediate Range Missile in a Strike on Ukraine

UP NEXT

What Will Happen to CNBC and MSNBC When They No Longer Have a Corporate Connection to NBC News?

UP NEXT

Pope to Make Late Italian Teenager Carlo Acutis the First Millennial Saint on April 27

UP NEXT

US Vetoes UN Ceasefire Resolution in Gaza Conflict

UP NEXT

Israeli Officials Demand the Right to Strike Hezbollah Under Any Cease-Fire Deal for Lebanon

Fresno School Employees Say District’s Job Shifts Endanger Kids and Staff

2 hours ago

Assemblymember Arambula Says He’ll Run for Fresno City Council

2 hours ago

Business, Environmental Interests Oppose South Fresno Industrial Plan. What’s Next?

2 hours ago

Take a Bow, Bulldog Football Fans. Some Power 4 Schools Would Love to Have You.

3 hours ago

Community Hospital CEO Craig Castro Will Retire in Early 2025

4 hours ago

Conor McGregor Must Pay Woman $250K in Sexual Assault Case, Civil Jury Rules

4 hours ago

Judge Delays Trump Hush Money Sentencing in Order to Decide Where Case Should Go Now

4 hours ago

Trump Gave Interior Nominee One Directive for a Half-Billion Acres of US Land: ‘Drill’

5 hours ago

Fresno State Gets $500K Grant for Students Facing Homelessness

5 hours ago

NATO and Ukraine to Hold Emergency Talks After Russia’s Attack With New Hypersonic Missile

5 hours ago

Man Found Dead in Fresno’s Roeding Park Identified as Bay Area Resident

A man found dead Thursday afternoon in Fresno’s Roeding Park died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Fresno Police Department said in ...

1 hour ago

Solomone Toki, 44, of the Bay Area, was found dead in Fresno’s Roeding Park died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. (Fresno PD)
1 hour ago

Man Found Dead in Fresno’s Roeding Park Identified as Bay Area Resident

Fresno County authorities are searching for Ray Weston McCall Jr., 43, wanted on domestic violence charges, and caution the public not to approach him. (Fresno County SO)
1 hour ago

Fresno Authorities Search for Domestic Violence Suspect Considered Armed and Dangerous

2 hours ago

NBA Memo to Players Warns About Organized Home Break-Ins

2 hours ago

Fresno School Employees Say District’s Job Shifts Endanger Kids and Staff

2 hours ago

Assemblymember Arambula Says He’ll Run for Fresno City Council

2 hours ago

Business, Environmental Interests Oppose South Fresno Industrial Plan. What’s Next?

3 hours ago

Take a Bow, Bulldog Football Fans. Some Power 4 Schools Would Love to Have You.

4 hours ago

Community Hospital CEO Craig Castro Will Retire in Early 2025

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend