The future Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi showed no willingness to compromise when he presented the main features of his policy.
At a press conference in Tehran three days after winning the presidential election, he reiterated the familiar positions that it was up to the United States to lift the “tyrannical sanctions” before Iran returned to its obligations under the nuclear agreement.
He accused the European Union of cooperating with the United States on Iran.
Rainer Hermann
Editor in politics.
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Stephan Löwenstein
Political correspondent based in Vienna.
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Raisi categorically ruled out negotiations on Iran's missile program and its role in neighboring countries.
The shortest answer he gave to the question of whether he would be ready to meet the American President Joe Biden after the sanctions were lifted: "No."
The negotiators in Vienna would continue their work as long as the Hassan Rouhani government was in office, Raisi said. The handover will take place on August 3rd. The negotiations in Vienna on a possible restoration of the 2015 nuclear agreement were interrupted again on Sunday evening to give the delegations the opportunity to meet in the capitals. Obviously, this is to get Raisi involved. As for Iran's major negotiating lines, the Western negotiators apparently do not expect any changes, as all decisions ultimately depend on the revolutionary leader.
European diplomats said after the sixth round of negotiations on Sunday that they had agreed on “a number of important elements” but that the “most difficult issues” remained unresolved;
it can be negotiated "not endlessly".
The head of the Iranian delegation, Abbas Araghtschi, found that an agreement was “closer than ever” and that he hoped that the last “short, albeit difficult route” could be covered in the next round.
In Vienna it was noted with interest that Iran had to shut down the Bushehr nuclear power plant on Monday night due to a “technical error”.
A corresponding report was sent to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.
Iranian nuclear facilities have been sabotaged several times, presumably by Israeli intelligence services.
Raisi is in favor of reopening the Saudi embassy in Iran
During his tenure, Raisi wants to implement the 25-year cooperation agreement with China that was signed this spring.
He assured the Palestinians that Iran would continue to stand by their side.
Raisi advocated the reopening of the Saudi embassy in Tehran.
However, Iran will not change its policy in Yemen until Saudi Arabia stops its attacks on the country.
When asked by the human rights organization Amnesty International that the human rights violations committed in 1988 should be investigated against him, Raisi said that as a lawyer and prosecutor he had always defended human rights.
But he does not deny the mass executions at the time.
They were terrorists, said Raisi.
He devoted a large part of his remarks to improving the economic situation.
He will not give in to the nuclear negotiations because of economic advantages.
Raisi strives for self-sufficiency in staple foods.
He declared war on corruption and discrimination.
He wants to reduce corporate tax from 25 to ten percent.
In return, property taxes and taxes on foreign exchange and gold trading are to be increased significantly.
Meanwhile, doubts about the officially reported turnout of 48 percent have been fueled.
In several constituencies, more than 100 percent of those eligible to vote allegedly cast their votes.
In the province of Alborz, the proportion of invalid votes was 51 percent.