Saturday, January 21, 2017

Iran: Donald Trump’s Comments ‘Psychologically Affected’ Nuclear Deal

Iran’s latest assault on President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal is a report claiming that President-elect Donald Trump’s criticisms have “psychologically affected” implementation by causing “a sense of anxiety and uncertainty over the fate of the agreement” among foreign companies that might do business with the Islamic Republic.

So says Saudi Arabia’s Al-Arabiya in summing up the report from Iran’s Foreign Ministry. The Foreign Ministry did say, however, that it will not “rush to judge the new U.S. administration.”
Al-Arabiya writes
Trump’s statements on the nuclear agreement with Tehran during his presidential campaign and after his election caused great concern to Iranian officials as well as companies and international banks, which intend to cooperate with Tehran and engage in the Iranian market. Subsequently, President Rowhani and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif were faced with a wave of domestic criticism, especially from the supporters of Iranian Leader Ali Khomeini.

The proximate cause of Iranian anxiety and distress is not Trump himself, but his secretary of state nominee, Rex Tillerson. The Foreign Ministry has developed a bad case of indigestion over Tillerson’s recommendation for a “comprehensive review” of the nuclear deal. READ MORE