Iran has lost patience in improving relations with the West.
(Baonghean.vn)- Iran's Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has sent out a message about a decisive shift, leaning towards tightening relations with China and Russia, a move that shows that the country has lost patience in its efforts to improve relations with the West.
On February 19, Supreme Leader Khamenei declared: “In foreign policy, our top priority today includes prioritizing the East over the West.”
Analysts say this does not change the basic idea that Iran rejects being caught in the crossfire of foreign powers. However, the latest attempt to ease tensions with the US – embodied in the nuclear deal signed between Iran and the P5+1 powers in 2015 – is gradually winding down.
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| Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Photo: AP |
“Khamenei has repeatedly stated that the 2015 nuclear deal was a test to see whether negotiations with the West could yield positive results for Iran,” said Ellie Geranmayeh of the European Council on Foreign Relations. “The leadership sees the US acting in a deceitful manner toward the deal. Khamenei’s statements show that Tehran is giving the Iranian system a green light to focus its diplomatic efforts on strengthening ties with China and Russia.”
Khamenei's statement comes at a pivotal moment, as US President Donald Trump threatens to scrap the nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions unless Iran agrees to curb its missile program and end its "destabilizing activities" in the Middle East.
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| A pro-government protest in Tehran, Iran, last January. Photo: AP |
“From the very beginning, the Obama administration began violating the agreement, both in letter and in spirit,” said Mohammad Marandi, a political analyst at the University of Tehran.
This expert commented that Mr. Khamenei's latest statement shows the simple fact that Iran's relations with Eastern countries have become much stronger, especially since Tehran and Moscow allied in the war in Syria.
“The world is very different now. Iran’s relations with Russia and China and many Asian countries are much better than with Western countries because they treat us better. We are partners with Russia in Syria, not subordinates,” he said.
However, expert Geranmayeh said: “At certain times since the 1979 revolution, Iran has taken practical steps in its relations with the US when necessary or in its interests.”