A solid article, outlining the reticence of Iran to stop its nuclear program. Biden will have great difficulty getting Iran to the negotiating table or agreeing to a timetable. “For Biden, reentering the Iran deal will not be an easy task,” Judah Ari Gross, Times of Israel, November 8, 2020.
“Outgoing US Secretary of State engages in last Twitter war with Iranian Supreme Leader,” AMN, November 8, 2020. “The exchange began when the Iranian Supreme Leader posted: “The situation in the US & what they themselves say about their elections is a spectacle! This is an example of the ugly face of liberal democracy in the US. Regardless of the outcome, one thing is absolutely clear, the definite political, civil, & moral decline of the US regime.” An angry Pompeo responded the Iranian Supreme Leader’s tweet by accusing him of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from the Iranian people. “@khamenei_ir – You’ve personally stolen hundreds of millions of dollars from your people. Your elections are a joke, with hundreds of candidates disqualified from even running. Today, your people starve because you spend billions on proxy wars to protect your kleptocracy.””
“Iran starts drilling operations on Phase 11 of South Pars gas field after years of delay,” Xinhua, November 8, 2020.
That Iran remains, for the moment, still in the JCPOA provides some hope for better economic results and better relations, explains an op-ed. See “The Optimistic Case for Biden and Iran,” Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, op-ed, Bourse and Bazaar, November 8, 2020.
“Iran: We will build our own helicopters, supply Iraq,” Seth Frantzman, Jerusalem Post, November 8, 2020.
Ironically, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council “Ali Shamkhani said an end to the tenure of Trump was not a surprise, but a verdict ordained by history. “Most American people rejected the record full of failures from an ideology that saw bullying and coercion as a solution to problems.”” See “Iran’s Shamkhani: Trump Lesson for Posterity,” Tasnim News Agency, November, 8, 2020.
Again, note where the FM goes, and where he does not. This tour has included Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Nicaragua. “Iran FM holds talks with Nicaraguan counterpart,” Tehran Times, November 8, 2020.
No, Leader, America is not in decline because Trump lost. Look at the full picture. “Iranian officials react to Biden victory in US presidential race,” Maziar Motamedi, Al Jazeera, November 8, 2020.
Deaths on Saturday—remember, the real number is 3 to 4 times higher. “UPDATE 1-Iran’s daily COVID-19 deaths hit record of 459 – TV,” Reuters, November 8, 2020.
“Iran’s president calls on Biden to return to nuclear deal,” AP, November 8, 2020. But Rouhani doesn’t just ask the U.S. to rejoin the JCPOA. He demands that Pres-elect Biden “compensate for past mistakes.” That means to make financial payment for any sanctions damages the U.S. alleged has made, before Iran will allow the U.S. back into the JCPOA.