Iran, Gas Prices, Human Rights: All Shape Biden Middle East Trip

Raisi further advised the United States on Wednesday "to see the facts to learn from the past and not to repeat the failed experience of the ‘maximum pressure’ policy on the Iranian nation," official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.

He reminded that US officials have repeatedly said that the pressure Washington imposed on Iran was unprecedented, but "the spokesperson of the State Department has officially announced that these pressures did not work in any way and failed shamefully."

Earlier, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had also quoted the State Department spokesman, Ned Price, to argue that US sanctions were a failure.

Raisi went on to say, "the US claims that Iran should return to the nuclear deal while Iran has never withdrawn from the JCPOA." Meanwhile, Raisi advised the Americans not to speak to Iranians using "the language of coercion.”

Raisi, who like other Iranian senior officials, appeared to be shaken by the possible military implications of the US President's regional tour, warned that "if American visits to the regional countries are aimed at strengthening the position of the Zionist regime and normalizing its relations with certain countries, their efforts will not in any way bring about security for the Zionists."

Referring to the new alliances in the region between Israel and regional Arab states, and the idea of creating an integrated air defense in the region to thwart Iran's threats, Raisi said "Iran is watching the region closely," adding that "Tehran has repeatedly told those who convey US messages to Iran that the slightest move against Iran's territorial integrity will face a decisive response."

Raisi's comments coincided with the posting of an interview on the moderate conservative Khabar Online website in which Alireza Soltani, a Tehran University academic and an expert in political economics, said that the revival of the JCPOA should be Iran's priority in its diplomacy with foreign officials in and beyond the region.

Referring to Iranian officials' occasional doubts about the impact of a nuclear deal on Iran's economic situation, Soltani warned that the window of opportunity will not always remain open. Soltani's warning came as Iranian officials acted defiantly to a French Foreign Ministry statement reminding Tehran that the window of diplomacy may not remain open for Iran longer than a couple of weeks.

The academic further warned that without the revival of the JCPOA, Iran cannot even think of improving its foreign relations even with China, India and Russia. Soltani added that if the 2015 nuclear deal is not revived, there is a chance that the United States and Europe will take Iran's case to the United Nations Security Council.

Soltani said Iran's approach to the negotiations is non-transparent and unclear for public opinion, political circles, and the media. He added that the shadow of doubt on Iran's approach to the negotiations has become heavier after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resulting change in Tehran's positions.

Soltani said that this situation is undesirable for the Iranian economy and the people whose livelihood and businesses are being held hostage in the negotiations to revive the JCPOA.

Recently, international lawyer Reza Nasri pointed out that that Iranian officials who seek guarantees from the US about economic benefits of a nuclear deal have no idea what they are looking for as in fact, there are no such guarantees.

In a statement on Wednesday, the ministry claimed they had plans to attack Iran’s vital economic centers and facilities.

The group was comprised of several cells with various missions to destroy vital facilities of the country, to create roadblocks and extort money from the people, especially successful local entrepreneurs, the ministry claimed. 

Describing the report as "fake news," Kaveh Bahrami, the head of armed wing of Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan called it an attempt to justify an “atmosphere of pressure, threats and more executions".

The network had entered the country through the border areas of West Azarbaijan province with the support of terrorist groups in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, read the statement, adding that advanced communication technology and weapons, including various types of guns, rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades, explosives and ammunition have been discovered and confiscated from the group.

A Kurdish rights group said on July 8 that at least four servicemen of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard were killed in clashes with fighters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party in the province.

The Islamic Republic calls the Kurdish armed groups in the western provinces of Iran, "terrorist groups" or "anti-revolutionary" but these groups say that the goal of their armed campaign is "defending the rights of the Kurds".

Generally, the Kurdish parties − including Komala and the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) − favor Kurdish autonomy within a federal Iran. Pejak (the Free Life Party of Kurdistan), an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), formed in Turkey but also based in northern Iraq, has generally favored a unified, independent Kurdistan uniting Kurds in Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Iran.

Foreign ministry’s new spokesperson Naser Kanani in his first weekly briefing with reporters said that chief negotiator Ali Bagheri-Kani is in touch with European Union’s coordinator of the talks Enrique Mora. He added that if the “other sides are committed to multi-lateral talks, Iran is also ready to follow that path.”

The latest round of unsuccessful negotiations took place in Doha, Qatar at the end of June. Bagheri-Kani held ‘proximity talks’ with his US counterpart Robert Malley through Mora, still refusing to meet the Americans in direct talks.

It was not clear if Kanani’s reference to “multi-lateral talks” meant that Tehran does not want negotiations just with the West and wants to bring back China and Russia to any future talks.

President Ebrahim Raisi, however, sounded defiant on Wednesday saying Iran will not retreat from its "rightful and logical" stance in talks to revive the 2015 nuclear pact, state media reported.

Almost one year of negotiations in Vienna ended at an impasse in Vienna in March. Russia, China, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, the participants of the 2015 nuclear deal known as JCPOA were holding sessions with Iran. The United States was present on the sidelines, although it was the main protagonist in the complicated process of restoring the JCPOA.

Kanani repeated Iran’s demand of guarantees for its economic benefits if an agreement is reached. The US has agreed to left major economic sanctions, but Iran is insisting on all sanction imposed by the former US administration to be removed, including terrorism penalties imposed on companies, individuals and the Revolutionary Guard.

The foreign ministry spokesman also dismissed statements by President Joe Biden published last week in The Washington Post, that said the US will keep up economic and diplomatic pressure on Tehran until it is will to reach a nuclear agreement.

Biden also said that his administration has been able to deter attacks by forces aligned with Iran in the Middle East.

Kanani engaged in a long monologue, accusing the United States of bringing instability to the region and said that Biden had no right to accuse Iran or its allies of sowing discord in the region.

Kanani also responded to Israeli statements about having the right to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. He retorted that Israel has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treat (NPT) and has a large stockpile of nuclear weapons, so it has not right to accuse Iran’s “peaceful nuclear program” of having any military dimensions.

Iran began its nuclear program in 1990s secretly until its existence was revealed in 2002. Some aspects of that secret phase still remain unexplained and the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors overwhelmingly censured Tehran in its June meeting.

Kanani repeated the Iranian threat of a “decisive response” to any Israeli action that would be “regretted by the Zionist regime.”

The declaration that outlines US-Israeli strategic partnership will include a mutual commitment against Iran’s nuclear program and regional aggression, with both countries pledging they will use “all elements of national power” to ensure Iran never builds a nuclear weapon.

President Biden will be in Israel on Thursday during a regional trip, with the highlight of a long-expected visit to Saudi Arabia.

During Biden’s visit Iran will be a focal point of discussions, with attempts to launch a regional air defense system including Israel and US Arab allies. It could also culminate in steps to bring Saudi Arabia closer to normalizing relations with Israel.

President Biden is also expected to reaffirm US commitment to Israel’s security with annual assistance and a pledge to uphold its military edge, which is becoming more important with the advance of Iran’s missile program.

The Jerusalem Post quoted an unnamed official as saying that Iran will be at the top of the bilateral agenda, with talks to restore the 2015 nuclear deal stalled and Iran boosting uranium enrichment. He added that Iran is playing for time, calculating that the longer the current situation lasts the more advantage it will gain.

However, an Iranian lawmaker said that Putin is scheduled to visit Iran to follow up on the plans to further economic cooperation.

The head of the Iranian parliament's economic committee, Mohammad-Reza Pourebrahimi, said on Tuesday that planning for the expansion of economic ties between Tehran and Moscow will be on the agenda of the talks between the two presidents. 

Noting that Russians are now more keen on economic collaborations with Iran than in the past, referring to the restrictions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. “The sanctions on Russia by the US and Europe made it more and more in need of economic cooperation with Iran.”

After the 16th meeting of the Astana process in Kazakhstan's capital Nur Sultan in July 2021, Turkey, Russia and Iran pledged to maintain cooperation in Syria to bring the warring sides together to find a permanent solution to the decade-long war.

Initiated by Turkey, Iran and Russia, the Astana meeting is focused on the constitutional system, political transition, security and resettlement. The first Astana meeting was held in Turkey in January 2017 to facilitate United Nations-sponsored peace talks in Geneva.

Late in June, Raisi and Putin held a meeting during their visit to Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, on the sidelines of the 6th summit of the heads of state of the Caspian Sea littoral states.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday that Russia wants to obtain hundreds of drones from Iran, both for surveillance and attack, to use in its war in Ukraine.