TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani has expressed satisfaction over the defeat of U.S. President Donald Trump in the November 3 presidential election, saying “thank God that the Americans and the world got rid of Trump”.

“One of the manifestations of Iran’s victory and the enemy’s definite defeat in the economic war is the end of the era of Trumpism,” Rouhani said at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday morning. 
Rouhani added Trump even didn’t allow a $5 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund “to reach Iran to fight the coronavirus”.

“I thank the Iranian people for their three-year resistance in the economic war. In Iran we’ve had two sacred defenses, one against Iraq and the other against the Trumpists,” the president said, Fars reported.

He also said if President-elect Joe Biden repeals Trump’s anti-Iran decisions, Iran and other sides of the nuclear agreement can go back to the circumstances that existed before January 20, 2017, when Trump became the U.S. president.

Under Trump, the U.S. slapped sanctions on Iran after his administration withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in May 2018. Trump has described the sanctions as his “maximum pressure” campaign aimed at forcing Iran to renegotiate the nuclear deal. However, some analysts and officials believe that the “maximum pressure” strategy was aimed at overthrowing the Islamic Republic establishment.

“One of the manifestations of Iran’s victory and the enemy’s definite defeat in the economic war is the end of the era of Trumpism.”Earlier this month, Rouhani said his administration will make use of every opportunity in order to lift the U.S. sanctions against Iran.

“Whenever we see that there’s a situation for the lifting of sanctions, we will make use of that,” Rouhani said at a cabinet meeting on November 11. “Our goal is that cruel sanctions would be lifted.”

Rouhani also said the Trump administration that sought the fall of the Iranian establishment has faced a “humiliating” defeat itself.

The Trump administration that dreamed about the collapse of the Iranian establishment has been voted out humiliatingly, the president pointed out.

In remarks on November 8, Rouhani urged the incoming Biden administration to make up for Trump’s mistakes and cherish international law and treaties.

“Now, an opportunity has opened up for the next U.S. administration to make up for the past mistakes and return to abiding by international commitments through respecting international regulations,” he said.

The president said the Trump government’s destructive policies over the last three years were not only rejected by the people of the world but were also opposed by the American people in the November 3 election.

He added that the Islamic Republic of Iran has always complied with its obligations as long as the other sides have done the same and regard constructive collaboration with the world as its approach.

MH/PA