Iran must comply with International Atomic Energy Agency rules again to enter nuclear talks with the U.S., a State Department spokesperson said this week after the Islamic Republic swore in a new president.
The spokesperson said July 29 that the state department has “no expectation” that the election of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, a self-styled reformist, would lead to any fundamental changes in Iranian policies. This briefing took place before Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed after attending Pezeshkian’s inauguration in Tehran.
Pezeshkian defeated a conservative opponent in a run-off election after the previous president, Ebrahim Raisi, died in a helicopter crash in May.
“We are going to judge, just as we always have, Iran’s leadership by their actions, not by their words or even claims of moderation or claims of wanting better ties,” the spokesperson said. “The proof is in the pudding, and the proof is going to be reflected in the actions that they take.”
Reporters also asked State about the Iranian election last week, and the answer was similarly cautious.
“So we have long made clear that we support diplomacy,” the spokesperson said, calling it the “chief route” for dealing with Iran’s nuclear program, “but we’re a long way from that right now, especially when you see the steps that Iran has taken to flagrantly flout the requirements of the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency].”
The IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has said in May that the agency has not been inspecting Iran’s expanding nuclear program at the visibility levels he wants, and that Iran is enriching uranium at 60% purity, close to required purity of 90% for nuclear weapons.
Pezeshkian ran on the campaign of changing foreign policy and restarting nuclear negotiations with the United States again. Like all Iranian leaders, Pezeshkian pledged his loyalty to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the senior Iranian cleric who the State Department spokesperson said ultimately makes decisions in Tehran.
“We have not made any assessment that Iran is yet changing its overall strategic approach to these issue[s],” the spokesperson said.