When Donald Trump was final within the White Home, he pursued a coverage of “most strain” in opposition to the Islamic republic of Iran, together with punishing sanctions.
Now that he’s set to start one other time period as US president in January, anxiousness is mounting in Tehran that extra of the identical will comply with.
Throughout Trump’s first time period, america additionally killed a revered Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps normal in an air strike on Baghdad airport in Iraq.
Such historical past between the 2 long-time adversaries casts a darkish shadow over the prospect of relations bettering.
“It will likely be dangerous for Iran,” mentioned 37-year-old Bashir Abbaspour, who works at a non-public firm, reflecting widespread concern in Iran as information broke on Wednesday of Trump’s victory.
His win got here with the Center East in turmoil after the outbreak of the Gaza struggle in October 2023, triggered by the unprecedented assault by Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas on Israel.
That struggle has now unfold to Lebanon, the place Israel is battling Hezbollah, one other ally of Iran which itself has now twice launched unprecedented assaults on Israel, in April and October, utilizing drones and missiles.
Iranians greatest keep in mind Trump for his marketing campaign of intensified sanctions and Washington’s 2018 withdrawal from a landmark nuclear deal that supplied Tehran sanctions aid in return for curbs on its nuclear ambitions.
The deal’s collapse took a toll on bizarre Iranians grappling with galloping inflation and a pointy depreciation of the rial in opposition to the US greenback.
“The sanctions will enhance, and with that, the costs will too. It isn’t a superb factor for Iran,” Abbaspour mentioned of Trump’s comeback.
Washington formally broke off relations with Tehran a 12 months after the Islamic revolution in 1979, and ties have been frozen ever since.
– ‘No distinction’ –
On Wednesday, the conservative Jam-e Jam newspaper featured front-page photos of the 2 important US candidates, the Republican Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris, with two demons depicted looming behind them.
“The results of the US elections will make no distinction for us,” learn the day by day’s important headline, citing International Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Reza Aram, a 51-year-old insurance coverage agent, agreed. He mentioned Washington’s perspective in the direction of Iran “will not change”, no matter who’s president there.
“Iran’s relations (with the US) would be the identical (with Trump) as with Democrats,” he mentioned.
President Masoud Pezeshkian, who took workplace in Iran in July, has mentioned he sought to shore up ties with West and revive the nuclear deal and finish Iran’s isolation.
However in current weeks, Araghchi has mentioned oblique nuclear talks with america have stopped due to regional tensions.
On October 1, Iran fired round 200 missiles at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran-backed militant leaders together with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and a Revolutionary Guards commander.
In April, in its first ever direct assault on Israeli territory, Iran launched a whole lot of drones and missiles in response to a lethal strike on its consulate in Damascus, which it blamed on Israel.
– ‘Beneath strain’ –
Throughout Trump’s first time period, supreme chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the ultimate say in all issues of state, referred to as him “unbalanced” and “foul-mouthed” as he addressed laughing crowds in Tehran.
When in 2020 Trump ordered the killing of Iran’s esteemed IRGC normal Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad, Tehran responded by attacking bases housing US troops in Iraq.
Within the months main as much as Tuesday’s vote in america, American officers charged that Iran was making an attempt to intrude within the elections, and Trump accused Tehran of posing “massive threats” to his life.
On July 13, after a gunman wounded Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, US media reported that authorities had acquired intelligence about an alleged Iranian plot in opposition to him.
Iran roundly denied the accusations as “malicious”.
Now, with Trump resulting from be again in workplace quickly and with reminiscences of his earlier time period nonetheless recent, Iranians discover themselves left with little however hope for higher days forward.
“I am frightened proper now in regards to the state of affairs of the nation and its economic system,” mentioned 56-year-old Zahra Eghbali. “Persons are beneath strain.”
“Each side ought to come to an settlement that’s to the good thing about the individuals.”
