Iran says Trump’s departure has reduced tension in international arena

Former U.S. President Donald Trump’s departure from office has resulted in reduced tension in the international arena, Iranian Government spokesman Ali Rabiei said on Tuesday.

“With the departure of the Trump administration, the world has got out of the stress state, a new situation has emerged in the international atmosphere,” Rabiei said.

The government added that Iran did not have official contacts with the new administration under President Joe Biden, stressing that Tehran was waiting for the U.S. to fulfill its commitments and lift sanctions from Iran.

“We have no contact with the new U.S. administration.

“We are still waiting for the U.S. administration’s official position concerning returning to commitments and lifting illegal sanctions as an inseparable part of these commitments,” the government wrote on its Twitter account.

In 2015, Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the U.S. and the EU signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), stipulating the removal of international sanctions from Tehran in exchange for it scaling down its nuclear programme.

In 2018, Trump pulled the U.S. out of the JCPOA and re-imposed sanctions on Iran.

Tehran responded by gradually abandoning its own commitments.

On Jan. 22, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said that the window of opportunity for the new U.S. administration to return to the deal had limits, as Iran was determined to achieve the removal of sanctions.