Despite his hostile rhetoric US President Donald Trump has a desire to engage Iran in negotiations and will do all he can to achieve this goal, says a foreign policy expert.
"I have always said Trump would love to negotiate with Iran. Holding talks with Iran is very important for him. He is yearning for talks and will do all kinds of things to hold talks with Iran," Hamid Reza Asefi told the Fararu news website in remarks published on Thursday.
Over the past several months and after pulling out of the historic Iran nuclear agreement in May, Trump has often said that he wants Tehran to come to the negotiating table to discuss a range of critical issues.
Asefi’s comments echoed those of other political analysts who say the beleaguered president's recent irresponsible remarks and heated exchange of threats with Iran's leaders are similar to his approach to North Korea, in which he aimed high, exerted maximum pressure on that impoverished nation using all necessary means to expand points of leverage and forced a deal on terms most favorable to America.
However, experts argue that Trump's policy of ramping up the sanctions and rhetorical pressure on Tehran is unlikely to produce a conclusion he desires.
Change in Tone
Asefi, a former Foreign Ministry spokesman, says President Hassan Rouhani has adopted a "decisive" and "reasonable" stance toward the United States and that the change in his choice of words is the result of US actions.
"Mr. Rouhani's strategy has not changed over the past several years but the language has. This was not of his making, but rather the outcomet of the US government's wrong moves."
He was referring to recent remarks by the president, in which he warned Trump and his neocon aides to be careful in their Iran policy and not "play with the lion's tail."
Addressing himself to US policymakers, Rouhani said "America should know that peace with Iran would be the mother of all peace, and war with Iran would be the mother of all wars.”
Military Confrontation
Asefi believes that the US has no appetite for military conflict and prefers to continue its economic warfare against the Islamic Republic.
Provoking Discord
The Americans are trying to create divisions among the Iranian people, Asefi noted, adding, "They want to make the people suspicious about the ruling establishment."
He urged the people to help maintain national unity and called on officials to take confidence-building measures and the effective steps to strengthen the economy and not lose public trust.
