Iran still considers the United States as its “number one enemy” despite the recent nuclear deal with world powers, according to Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, the chairman of the Assembly of Experts in the country.
The Assembly of Experts is the most influential institution in Iran composed of 86 Mujtahids or Islamic theologians. It has the power to appoint and the Supreme Leader of Iran, and to supervise his activities.
In a speech during the meeting of the Assembly of Experts on Tuesday, Yazdi said the nuclear agreement should not change Iran’s foreign policy of opposition to America, “our number one enemy, whose crime are unaccountable.”
Yazdi blamed the United States and Israel as the reason for the situation (the conflicts in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen) in the Middle East. He emphasized that objective of both countries was to “protect the Zionist regime” in the region.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reached out to the West to improve relations since his election in 2013. He was a cleric and a member of the Assembly of Experts.
Iran reached a nuclear deal with the six world powers including Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States on July 14, 2015, after 18 months of negotiations. The nuclear deal was designed to limit and monitor Iran’s nuclear program and prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.
Analysts suggested that the nuclear deal would help Iran revive its political standing with European countries. Since the agreement, several high-level delegations from Europe visited Iran.
They also observed there is a slim chance for Tehran to have normal relations with Washington despite the complex role played bu U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in the nuclear negotiations to get the deal across the line.
The United States and Iran cut their relationship the hostage-taking of American diplomats by Islamist students in 1980.
Iran top military chief says U.S. will always be the “Great Satan
General Mohamad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution of Iran also expressed his opinion similar to Yazdi’s statement. According to him, the United States will remain the “Great Satan.”
Al-Jafari added, “Do not be fooled by the new American language. The hostility of the United States towards the Iranian people has not diminished but actually increased. They use other methods.”
Iran hopes U.S. Congress will not be influenced by propaganda
On the other hand, Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister of Iran is hoping that “warmongers’ propaganda” would not influence the U.S. Congress concerning the nuclear deal.
In a press conference in Tunisia, Zarif said, “What happens in the US Congress, that’s certainly a US issue. We believe it’s a mutually beneficial agreement.”
“And if people are not too much concerned with the propaganda being raged by warmongers in our region and outside our region, there’s no reason for the deal to face any impediments in the United States,” added Zarif.
The U.S. Congress is set to vote on the nuclear deal this month whether to endorse or reject it. The Republicans is against the nuclear deal citing the reason that it contains too many concessions for Iran at the expense of the security of the United States and Israel, its chief ally in the Middle East.
If the U.S. Congress passes a resolution rejecting the nuclear deal, President Barck Obama is expected to veto it. Obama previously argued that Iran would have “no lasting constraint” on its nuclear program if a binding agreement does not exist. He said, “Put simply, no deal means a greater chance of more war in the Middle East.”
When it comes to the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in the Region, the Iranian Foreign Minister described it as a “multi-faceted campaign.” Iran and the United States are on the same side on this issue.
“We believe that the fight against ISIL [referring to IS] is not simply a military operation. It has to be a multi-faceted cultural, religious, political, economic and if necessary military campaign against this threat. We need to uproot the sources and the main reasons that give rise to this phenomenon,” said Zarif.
