Biden’s election victory revives Iranian hopes for lifting US sanctions

Eslam Mohamed

The Iranian regime has long waited for the departure of US President Donald Trump, who imposed heavy economic sanctions on Tehran, which negatively affected it and weakened its terrorist militias in the region.

Now the mullahs are hoping that Democratic President-elect Joe Biden will decide to lift the economic sanctions and ease the pressure imposed on Iran, although he recently promised to hold Tehran responsible for its actions.

The Iranian regime is facing political, economic and social crises due to the sanctions, which have led to the collapse of its legitimacy. Therefore, regime figures have resorted to adopting a discourse of restoring hope at home for a better future based on the personality of who occupies the White House.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said during a press conference I nTehran on Monday, November 9 that his country will follow the steps taken by the next government in the United States, stressing that Washington must correct the mistakes of the Trump government, which withdrew from the nuclear agreement and other agreements signed by the United States.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Trump, who lost his reelection bid, is gone, while Iran and its neighboring countries still remain in the region.

“Trump is gone, and we and our neighbors will remain. Betting on foreigners does not bring security but disappointments,” Zarif tweeted on Sunday evening, November 8, in a clear threat to the countries of the region that are suffering from Iranian terrorism.

Zarif added, “We extend our hands to our neighbors to cooperate in the pursuit of the common interests of our peoples and countries.”

On May 8, 2018, Trump announced his country’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, which he describes as the largest international supporter of terrorism, accusing it of seeking to obtain nuclear weapons.

The Trump administration also launched a maximum pressure campaign against Iran, under which severe economic sanctions were imposed to curb Iranian terrorism.

In turn, the Iranian government has repeatedly called on countries in the region, especially the Gulf, to stop relying on the United States to ensure the security of the Middle East, stressing its readiness to sign military and security treaties with the Arab countries, in a clear effort to extend Tehran’s hegemony over the region.