‘Doomed to fail again:’ Iran dismisses renewed U.S. ‘maximum pressure’ policy

IRNA – Iran has dismissed United States President Donald Trump’s decision to reinstate the “maximum pressure” campaign from his first administration, saying the failed hostile approach toward the Islamic Republic is doomed to fail again.

“The maximum pressure [policy] is a failed experience, and trying it again will lead to another failure,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet session on Wednesday.

Araghchi said that if the pressure campaign is aimed at preventing Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons, such a goal is unnecessary, as Iran is already a committed member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

“Iran is a committed member of the NPT and its positions on this matter are quite clear,” he said, adding that the fatwa of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei against the possession and use of nuclear weapons also makes it crystal clear to everyone that Tehran is not seeking them.

Trump on Tuesday evening signed an executive order to restore the “maximum pressure” policy on Iran, which he initiated in 2018 after unilaterally pulling the U.S. out of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office as he signed the order — shortly before he held a meeting with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — Trump claimed he had been hesitant about the move.

“So, this is one that I’m torn about,” the U.S. president said, referring to the order. “Everybody wants me to sign it. I’ll do that. It’s very tough on Iran.”

Despite his tough rhetoric and actions against Iran, Trump went on to claim that the United States wanted to make a deal with Iran.

“We will see whether or not we can arrange or work out a deal with Iran,” he said.

When asked to comment on Trump’s remarks, Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said Tehran’s foreign policy is based on the three key principles of dignity, wisdom, and expediency.

“Our country’s foreign policy has always been rooted in a series of fixed principles,” she told reporters on the sidelines of the cabinet session. “We follow three fixed principles: the dignity of the country and its people, wisdom and strategic foresight, and, of course, expediency.” Mohajerani added that all of Iran’s foreign relations, including its dealings with other countries, follow these principles. She did not name the United States.