TEHRAN — An international affairs expert says there are various valid reasons for Iran not to trust the United States.

“Iran has not yet forgotten the withdrawal of the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and its negligence, so there are good reasons for distrusting the United States,” Nozar Shafiei said in an interview with IRNA published on Tuesday.

When asked about the process of the Vienna talks in the eighth round, Shafiei said that when satisfactory comments are heard from the Vienna talks, it is clear that important events have taken place behind the negotiating table that make the negotiators comment positively. 

The expert added, “So these events are a kind of adjustment of the demands of the parties. In other words, Westerners seem to have taken a departure from their maximalist demands and are moving towards a middle ground.” 

According to Shafiei, if this assumption is correct, it is clear that the slowness of the negotiations in the seventh round was due to two things. “One is the existing mistrust and the other is the testing of the parties. So as our country's officials have repeatedly emphasized, it is the Westerners who must be serious in the negotiations and move towards reasonable demands and expectations.” 

But the expert said the important thing is that there are concerns about the future.

“What has forced the United States to adjust its demands is that the U.S. is at war with China and Russia over Taiwan and Ukraine, as well as the U.S. efforts to reduce its presence in West Asia and, of course, make that presence smarter,” he opined.

Iran has always proven that it will continue its peaceful nuclear activities and is serious in the negotiations in order to reach an agreement, he said, adding it is these factors that can be the driving force that can move the negotiations forward.

Shafiei highlighted that there are two factors igniting Iran’s mistrust towards the United States. 

“First and foremost, Iran has not forgotten the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, and secondly, the issue of the Republicans’ threats over the agreement with Iran in case of a possible victory in the 2022 congressional and 2024 presidential elections and the fear of large Western companies not to enter into stable relations with Iran due to another exit of the United States from the deal, so Iran has the right to be pessimistic about the West, especially the Americans and discuss the issues of guarantees and the verification mechanisms,” he concluded.