Page 5 - MEOG Week 25 2021

MEOG COMMENTARY MEOG

would not be included in any deal with the US Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad
over the cessation of sanctions. “Our missile pro- Zarif, has meanwhile been suggesting in recent
gramme is non-negotiable,” he added. days that the JCPOA could be salvaged even
In response to a question regarding whether before the end of Rouhani’s administration.
he planned to meet with US President Joe Biden, “Negotiations on the JCPOA are under way
Raisi immediately rejected the notion and [in Vienna]. There is a good chance that an
responded by saying: “no”. agreement will be made before the end of our
Raisi also reached out to the millions of expa- administration. We will leave office in mid-Au-
triates wishing them well and to invest in their gust and I think that it is highly likely that we will
country “as a priority” and that his government be able to reach an agreement long before this
would provide security for their investments. date,” Zarif said in an interview on the sidelines
He did not elaborate on how his future of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey on
unnamed cabinet would work to rebuild the June 19, Iran’s Fars News Agency reported.
country’s fortunes as banking sanctions continue
to be a major hurdle in bringing cash back to the Black turban
country. 60-year-old Raisi, who wears a black turban iden-
tifying him in Shia tradition as a descendant of
Shot in the arm the Prophet Muhammad and who was 19 years
In return for restoring compliance with the old at the time of the 1979 Islamic Revolution
JCPOA, Iran will have to return to compre- that brought down the last Shah, said in a victory
hensive and verifiable inspections of its nuclear statement that he will form a “hard-working,
development programme designed to enable a anti-corruption and revolutionary” cabinet. He
UN watchdog to ensure that its work remains added that he would be president for all those
entirely civilian in nature, but the prize would who voted for him, for those who did not and for
be a lifting of heavy US sanctions, including on those who chose not to vote at all.
oil exports, that would provide significant eco- The conservative Mohsen Rezaei attracted
nomic respite for Tehran. 3.3mn votes and the former head of the central
Raisi, who will be inaugurated in 45 days, bank and little-known moderate Abdolnaser
badly needs a win with the millions of disillu- Hemmati 2.4mn.
sioned Iranians who stayed away from the poll- Asked about the disqualifications of candi-
ing stations to the point that turnout on election dates, Zarif said: “Many of us were surprised and
day fell to an all-time low. The record low was disappointed but at the end of the day Ebrahim
given by officials as 48.8% (compared to the Raisi is the president of all Iranians.”
73% turnout at the last presidential election in However, the success of his presidency will,
2017), though there were immediately specula- much like Rouhani’s, be heavily influenced by his
tive debates on social media that the percentage ability to end sanctions, without which he will
of those who voted must have been lower, given struggle to make any meaningful improvements
anecdotal evidence of empty polling stations. to the Iranian economy.™

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