New Iranian Foreign Policy

On Saturday Iran's President, Hassan Rouhani, made clear his intentions of creating a relationship that would ease tensions between Iran and the rest of the world.  This comes after many Iranian military leaders expressed their readiness for war while Iranian diplomats negotiated and compromised with nuclear world powers in Vienna in February.  The chief commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad-Ali Jafari, has said, "'Our forefathers primed us for the final epic battle'" (online).  Rouhani claims that the Iranian people elected him into office as President in order to "change Iran's foreign policy and shift away from the bombastic style adopted under his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad" (online).  However, he will not give up Iran's nuclear energy program completely, claiming that the program is "peaceful" and that its purpose is to create electricity and to produce radioisotopes that would help in treating cancer patients.  Rouhani has also strongly asserted that besides the United Nations' nuclear non-proliferation treaty, Iran's "'beliefs' and commitment to 'ethical principles'" (online) deter the country from building a weapon of mass destruction.  He has also gone on to say that "'this is not a tactic or slogan.  Iran is not seeking tensions with others...but we don't compromise on our dignity, independence, national interests and values'" (online).  According to Rouhani, Iran would build chemical weapons instead of nuclear weapons, if they were seeking weapons of mass destruction, because they are easier to build.  Biological weapons would be even easier to make (online).  The Iranian President also referred to religion, stating that "Even if there were no NPT or other treaties, our belief, our faith, our religion and principles tell us not to seek weapons of mass destruction" (online).  Despite the comments made by Iran's President describing Iran's desire to ease tensions with the rest of the world, especially in issues of nuclear energy and weapons, Iran still refuses to surrender its "right to enrich uranium and produce nuclear fuel" (online).

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/01/rouhani-iran-nuclear-weapons-principle

- Jack Mikolajczyk