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| Iranian hardliners rejoice over US exit from nuclear deal | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Hardliners in Iran are rejoicing at Donald Trump’s decision to unilaterally pull the US out of the 2015 nuclear deal and reimpose economic sanctions, and seizing on an opportunity to consolidate their power over reformists who championed the pact. | Hardliners in Iran are rejoicing at Donald Trump’s decision to unilaterally pull the US out of the 2015 nuclear deal and reimpose economic sanctions, and seizing on an opportunity to consolidate their power over reformists who championed the pact. |
| The commander of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards “congratulated” the nation on the US exit from the deal. According to the semi-official Fars news agency, the commander, Mohammad Ali Jafari said: “I congratulate and take into a good deed the vicious withdrawal of the US from JCPOA, which was not credible even before the withdrawal … It was proved once more that US isn’t trustworthy in regards its commitments.” | |
| At the opening session of the Iranian parliament on Wednesday, a group of hardline MPs held up a paper US flag and the text of the 2015 landmark nuclear deal, also known as the joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA), before setting fire to both while chanting “death to America”. | At the opening session of the Iranian parliament on Wednesday, a group of hardline MPs held up a paper US flag and the text of the 2015 landmark nuclear deal, also known as the joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA), before setting fire to both while chanting “death to America”. |
| The MPs’ protest, which came a day after the US president broke with European allies over what he said was a “horrible, one-sided” agreement, was a nod to the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had said in June 2016, prior to Trump’s election, that if the Americans “tear it up, we will set it on fire”. | |
| In July 2015, Iran and a six-nation negotiating group reached a landmark agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that ended a 12-year deadlock over Tehran’s nuclear programme. The deal, struck in Vienna after nearly two years of intensive talks, limited the Iranian programme, to reassure the rest of the world that it cannot develop nuclear weapons, in return for sanctions relief. | |
| At its core, the JCPOA is a straightforward bargain: Iran’s acceptance of strict limits on its nuclear programme in return for an escape from the sanctions that grew up around its economy over a decade prior to the accord. Under the deal, Iran unplugged two-thirds of its centrifuges, shipped out 98% of its enriched uranium and filled its plutonium production reactor with concrete. Tehran also accepted extensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has verified 10 times since the agreement, and as recently as February, that Tehran has complied with its terms. In return, all nuclear-related sanctions were lifted in January 2016, reconnecting Iran to global markets. | |
| The six major powers involved in the nuclear talks with Iran were in a group known as the P5+1: the UN security council’s five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the UK and the US – and Germany. The nuclear deal is also enshrined in a UN security council resolution that incorporated it into international law. The 15 members of the council at the time unanimously endorsed the agreement. | |
| Read a full explainer here | |
| Ali Larijani, the speaker of the parliament, said Tehran would wait to gauge how the Europeans partners in the nuclear talks would handle the US exit from the deal. His comments echoed those of the Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, who has said the agreement could survive if Europe defies Trump. | |
| “Europe must prove that it is capable of throwing its weight behind settling our issues,” Larijani told MPs on Wednesday, according to the Mehr news agency. “The American nation has been saddled with an egotistical and amateurish politician.” | |
| Larijani said Trump was overjoyed that he was “plundering some short-sighted regional countries” – a reference to Israel and Saudi Arabia – “for the price of ignoring their wicked actions in the region”. | Larijani said Trump was overjoyed that he was “plundering some short-sighted regional countries” – a reference to Israel and Saudi Arabia – “for the price of ignoring their wicked actions in the region”. |
| The US exit from the agreement dominated Wednesday’s newspaper front pages in Tehran. “Barjam minus America,” read the main headline on the front page of the reformist Ebtekar daily, referring to the Persian acronyms for the JCPOA. “US exit from Barjam puts an end to the the world’s trust in the empire of lies,” Etelaaat’s front page said. | The US exit from the agreement dominated Wednesday’s newspaper front pages in Tehran. “Barjam minus America,” read the main headline on the front page of the reformist Ebtekar daily, referring to the Persian acronyms for the JCPOA. “US exit from Barjam puts an end to the the world’s trust in the empire of lies,” Etelaaat’s front page said. |
| “Trump tore up the agreement, now it’s time for us to set it on fire,” read the front page headline of Kayhan, an ultra-conservative daily whose editor is appointed directly by the supreme leader. | “Trump tore up the agreement, now it’s time for us to set it on fire,” read the front page headline of Kayhan, an ultra-conservative daily whose editor is appointed directly by the supreme leader. |
| Rouhani delivered a speech on Tuesday night shortly after Trump’s announcement, indicating that Tehran was waiting to see Europe’s response before making a decision on how to handle the US exit. | Rouhani delivered a speech on Tuesday night shortly after Trump’s announcement, indicating that Tehran was waiting to see Europe’s response before making a decision on how to handle the US exit. |
| Despite Rouhani’s assurances that Iran was prepared to withstand the impact of a US exit, Trump’s decision has revived worries of conflict inside Iran, where people are concerned about the state of its already fragile economy, and consequences for the fate of reformists who had championed the nuclear deal. | Despite Rouhani’s assurances that Iran was prepared to withstand the impact of a US exit, Trump’s decision has revived worries of conflict inside Iran, where people are concerned about the state of its already fragile economy, and consequences for the fate of reformists who had championed the nuclear deal. |
| Ordinary Iranians were on tenterhooks on Tuesday night ahead of Trump’s announcement, monitoring the developments closely, particularly any immediate impact on the country’s national currency, prompting panic-buying of hard-to-find dollars amid political uncertainty. | Ordinary Iranians were on tenterhooks on Tuesday night ahead of Trump’s announcement, monitoring the developments closely, particularly any immediate impact on the country’s national currency, prompting panic-buying of hard-to-find dollars amid political uncertainty. |
| Trump’s decision to reimpose economic sanctions is likely to exacerbate Iran’s economic problems at a time when public discontent is rife. In January, protests over economic grievances spread to as many as 80 cities, taking on a political dimension. | |
| Sadeq Zibakalam, a prominent political commentator and professor of politics at Tehran University, struck a pessimistic tone about the consequences of Trump’s decision in Iran. | Sadeq Zibakalam, a prominent political commentator and professor of politics at Tehran University, struck a pessimistic tone about the consequences of Trump’s decision in Iran. |
| “Many people are worried about war,” he told the Guardian by phone from Tehran. “Whenever the country faces a crisis in its foreign policy or economy, the situation gets better for hardliners, they’d be able to exert their force more easily.” | “Many people are worried about war,” he told the Guardian by phone from Tehran. “Whenever the country faces a crisis in its foreign policy or economy, the situation gets better for hardliners, they’d be able to exert their force more easily.” |
| He added: “At the same time, hardliners will gain politically from this situation, because they’ll attack reformists and moderates like [President] Rouhani that this is evidence of what they had been saying for years, that the US cannot be trusted, and that the US is always prepared to knife you in the back.” | He added: “At the same time, hardliners will gain politically from this situation, because they’ll attack reformists and moderates like [President] Rouhani that this is evidence of what they had been saying for years, that the US cannot be trusted, and that the US is always prepared to knife you in the back.” |
| Foad Izadi, a Tehran-based conservative political analyst, said Trump’s aim was to confront Iran with greater force but that it could withstand the pressure. “For 40 years, we have been living under sanctions. The collapse of the nuclear deal will mean that we have to find ways to circumvent sanctions, something we have done in the past. The institutions that have been doing that now need to be re-equipped,” he said. | |
| For ordinary Iranians, however, the prospects are gloomy. Arash Tavanafar said the psychological pressure of Trump’s decision on the Iranian population was much bigger than its economic effect. “The psychological pressure and worry is destroying us, especially the youth, because we neither have any trust on this political system, nor any hope for its reform. We’ve only become spectators of its downfall.” | For ordinary Iranians, however, the prospects are gloomy. Arash Tavanafar said the psychological pressure of Trump’s decision on the Iranian population was much bigger than its economic effect. “The psychological pressure and worry is destroying us, especially the youth, because we neither have any trust on this political system, nor any hope for its reform. We’ve only become spectators of its downfall.” |
| A 17-year-old Iranian active on the Telegram social app, which has recently been blocked, said the outcome would harm Rouhani, who was re-elected in a landslide by 24m votes last year mainly because of his efforts to secure the deal. “The psychological impact is bigger, people are worried, they’re afraid about war and they’re tired of instability and being in limbo.” | |
| It’s hard to overstate the power of Telegram in Iran. Of its 80m population, an estimated 40m use the free app created by Russian national Pavel Durov. Its clients share videos and photos, subscribing to groups where everyone from politicians to poets broadcast to fellow users. | |
| While authorities ban social media websites like Facebook and Twitter and censor others, Telegram users can say nearly anything. In the last presidential election, the app played a big role in motivating turnout and spreading political screeds. | |
| Telegram touts itself as being highly encrypted and allows users to set their messages to “self-destruct” after a certain period, making it a favourite among activists and others concerned about their privacy. That too has made it a worry of Iranian authorities. | |
| A channel run by an exiled journalist, Roohallah Zam, helped organise some of those who took to the street, including times and locations for protests, and was suspended by Durov after Iranian authorities complained that it was inciting violence. | |
| Zam, who denies the allegations, responded by launching new channels to spread messages about upcoming protests before the government ordered the app shut down. | |
| Mohammad, a postdoctoral student, said Trump’s decision would undermine moderates in Iran as the country might have to name a new supreme leader in the coming years. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is 78, and there has been speculation over his health. “Moderates can play a significant role in the appointment of the new leader if they’re not weakened, something that can hugely affect the future generations in the country,” Mohammad said. | |
| Iran nuclear deal | |
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| Iran's nuclear programme | |
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