Iranians are watching the US elections with concern and hope, wondering whether a second term for Donald Trump will change their country’s foreign policy. Looking back on Trump’s presidency, many Iranians say his approach was a disaster for Iran. After withdrawing from the nuclear deal, he imposed harsh sanctions that weakened the Iranian economy and also authorized the assassination of top military commander Qassem Soleimani. But despite all this, some in Iran believe that Trump, if re-elected, could emerge as a “dealmaker.”
The New York Times writes about this.
Among young Iranians, there are those who believe that a second Trump term could be less harsh on the Islamic Republic. “Trump wants to do big business, he wants to be seen as a leader who makes America stronger,” said Farhad, 34, an English teacher. “Maybe he’s more open to negotiations.”
Still, most conservative Iranians are skeptical of both parties. As Representative Ebrahim Rezaei pointed out, American policy does not depend on the personality of the president: “For our calculations, it does not matter who occupies the Oval Office.” His position was echoed by Mohammad Javad Akhavan, editor of Javan, who noted that American policy will change little for Iran regardless of who wins.
However, among Iran’s reformist circles, the US elections are of great interest. The Shargh newspaper actively covers the election campaigns and explains the political positions of Harris and Trump to Iranian readers. “Anyone who says that the elections in the United States are not important either does not understand it or is lying,” said the publication’s editor-in-chief, Mahdi Rakhmanyan. “We saw that under the Obama administration, Iran signed the nuclear deal and Trump withdrew from it.”
Some young Iranians hope Harris will continue Biden’s policies and avoid direct confrontation with Iran. “If Harris becomes president, she will likely support Biden’s course and relations between Iran, Russia and China will strengthen,” said business adviser Saman Taghavi, adding that Democrats may be more open to dialogue with Iran than Republicans.
Meanwhile, political analysts in Iran note that despite Trump’s reputation as a leading negotiator, negotiations between him and the Iranian government are unlikely. “Even if Trump is committed to negotiations, Iranian leaders will not forget their previous decisions,” said Hassan Ahmadian, a professor of Middle East studies.
Previously, Kursor wrote that the media told who Israel wants to see as president of the United States.
