Iran’s president-elect mentioned Monday he wouldn’t meet with President Joe Biden nor negotiate over Tehran’s ballistic missile program and its help of regional militias, sticking to a hard-line place following his landslide victory in final week’s election.
Judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi additionally described himself as a “defender of human rights” when requested about his involvement within the 1988 mass execution of some 5,000 individuals. It marked the primary time he’s been placed on the spot on dwell tv over that darkish second in Iranian historical past on the finish of the Iran-Iraq warfare.
“The US is obliged to lift all oppressive sanctions against Iran,” Raisi mentioned on the information convention.
Raisi sat in entrance of a sea of microphones, most from Iran and nations house to militias supported by Tehran. He seemed nervous initially of feedback however slowly loosened up over the hourlong information convention.
Asked about Iran’s ballistic missile program and its help of regional militias, Raisi described the problems as “non-negotiable.”
Iran’s new President-elect Ebrahim Raisi speaks throughout a press convention in Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 21, 2021. (AP)
Tehran’s fleet of assault plane date largely again to earlier than the 1979 Islamic Revolution, forcing Iran to as an alternative put money into missiles as a hedge towards its regional Arab neighbours, who’ve bought billions of {dollars} in American navy {hardware} through the years. Iran additionally depends on militias like Yemen’s Houthis and Lebanon’s Hezbollah to counterbalance towards enemies like Saudi Arabia and Israel, respectively.
On assembly Biden, Raisi merely answered: “No.” His reasonable competitor within the election, Abdolnasser Hemmati, had urged throughout campaigning that he’d be probably prepared to fulfill Biden.
The White House didn’t instantly reply to Raisi’s statements Monday.
Raisi, a protégé of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has been sanctioned by the U.S. partly over his involvement within the mass executions. His victory within the balloting final Friday got here amid the bottom turnout within the Islamic Republic’s historical past. Millions of Iranians stayed house in defiance of a vote they noticed as tipped in Raisi’s favor.
Of those that did vote, 3.7 million individuals both by accident or deliberately voided their ballots, far past the quantity seen in earlier elections and suggesting some wished not one of the 4 candidates. In official outcomes, Raisi received 17.9 million votes general, practically 62% of the overall 28.9 million forged.
Raisi’s election places hard-liners firmly in management throughout the federal government as negotiations in Vienna proceed to attempt to save a tattered deal meant to restrict Iran’s nuclear program, at a time when Tehran is enriching uranium at 60% its highest ranges ever, although nonetheless in need of weapons-grade ranges. Representatives of the world powers get together to the deal returned to their capitals for consultations following the newest spherical of negotiations on Sunday.
Top diplomats from nations concerned within the talks mentioned that additional progress had been made Sunday between Iran and international powers to attempt to restore a landmark 2015 settlement to comprise Iranian nuclear growth that was deserted by the Trump administration. They mentioned it was now as much as the governments concerned within the negotiations to make political selections.
Raisi’s election victory has raised considerations that it may complicate a potential return to the nuclear settlement.