Iran's President and the problem with America

(Baonghean.vn) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's second term has started with more difficulties than his first four years in power. Pressure is increasing from the US with the latest sanctions. Meanwhile, the domestic opposition is also looking for ways to reverse his achievements.

The Punishment Returns

During his inauguration ceremony before the National Assembly on August 5, Iranian President Hassan Rohani warned the US that Tehran would "appropriately" retaliate against any violation of the nuclear deal between the country and the P5+1 group.

Ahead of his inauguration, Iranian President Rouhani met with the European Union's (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, calling for further efforts to maintain the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers following new US sanctions against Tehran.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is inaugurated for a second term following a historic nuclear deal with the P5+1 group. Photo: The Guardian

In his inauguration speech, Mr. Rouhani also affirmed his tough stance towards the US. "The Islamic Republic of Iran will not be the first to violate the nuclear deal, but will not be silent if the US does not respect its commitments.

Iran will respond to sanctions with appropriate and proportionate actions," Iran said. The new US sanctions, which specifically target Tehran's ballistic program and the Revolutionary Guards, violate the nuclear deal because they prevent Tehran from normalizing economic relations with the rest of the world and negatively affect foreign investment.

The inauguration of the Iranian president took place at the same time that US President Donald Trump signed into law a bill imposing sanctions on Iran over its ballistic missile program, a blow to Tehran’s efforts to integrate after years of sanctions over its nuclear program.

The nuclear deal between Iran and world powers including Britain, France, the United States, Russia, China and Germany signed in July 2015 has allowed the return of major international companies to the Iranian market, especially recent deals with French oil company Total and Chinese CNPC in the gas sector.

However, US sanctions and President Donald Trump's growing hostility complicate President Rouhani's task of attracting billions of dollars in foreign investment to boost the economy and reduce unemployment, which currently stands at 12.7 percent in Iran.

The fluctuations remain

Hassan Rouhani’s first term as President was considered a success, with Tehran reaching an agreement with major powers including the UK, France, the US, Russia, China and Germany to curtail its controversial nuclear program. It was not just a nuclear agreement. It was also a political solution to Iran’s relations with the West, as well as to the entire Middle East region. Because of this remarkable and important foreign and security achievement, Mr. Rouhani deserved to receive voters’ votes for a second term.

However, this agreement has been criticized and pressured by the new US administration to scrap it. Its fate is seriously threatened by the political atmosphere and situation in the US. Therefore, maintaining this agreement has become one of the most difficult challenges and missions for Mr. Rouhani in his second term in office.

Mr. Rouhani received the mandate from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during his inauguration ceremony on August 3. Photo: Reuters

Despite the US - an important partner in the nuclear deal - opposing it, Iran has the important support of Russia, China, the UK, France, Germany and the EU as a whole. So far, the Trump administration, although reluctant to confirm that Iran is strictly complying, is still secretly looking for an excuse to withdraw from the deal, pushing the relationship with Iran back into tension, even on the nuclear issue.

That is part of the reason why US President Donald Trump has created a new coalition in the Arab and Muslim world to fight terrorism, and an important part is to prevent Iran's growing influence in the Middle East. It is no surprise that Washington has stirred up the Iranian nuclear issue to create a pretext to antagonize and antagonize the country, which is consistent with that policy.

From within Iran, the US’s hostile attitude and its intention to create pretexts and provoke Tehran will also make it more difficult for President Rouhani because the hardliners and conservatives in Iran, who have always opposed the agreement, have an excuse to overturn the whole thing. The combined impact of these trends will destroy all the positive effects that the agreement has brought.

Risk of confrontation again

President Donald Trump and his national security team have not given up on scrapping the Iran nuclear deal and imposing further sanctions on the Islamic Republic. But it should be noted that this is a dangerous move for the United States in the context of the situation in the Middle East region that still has many problems and conflicts.

The historic nuclear deal with the P5+1 group is becoming the target of attack by Iranian President Rouhani. Photo: Iran Daily

US allies Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are at loggerheads with another Washington ally, Qatar, over Doha’s ties to Tehran. The US knows that if the crisis is not resolved soon, it will push Qatar, which hosts a US military base in the region, closer to Iran.

The problem is that the Trump administration has not been able to find a way to help its Arab allies “cool down”. In addition, the US and Iran are also on opposite sides of the Syrian front, where the US supports the rebels and Iran supports President Bashar al-Assad. Another attempt at aggression will push this confrontation to explode in unpredictable directions.

Mr. John Glaser - Deputy Director of the foreign policy research program of the Cato Institute in Washington, USA said that if the nuclear agreement is canceled, Iran will abandon all responsibility to limit their nuclear program and the US will immediately return to "war" with this Islamic Republic./.

Phan Tung