Tehran, IRNA - Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s vice president for strategic affairs, says he believes Donald Trump will hold considerably more power in his second term as US president, but ultimately, it is Iran that will determine the nature of US-Iran relations.
In a wide-ranging interview with Iran newspaper, Zarif, a career diplomat who negotiated the landmark nuclear deal of 2015 with global powers, spoke candidly about Iran’s domestic and foreign policies under President Masoud Pezeshkian and the challenges the new administration faces at home and abroad.
Zarif emphasized the need for national dialogue and unity as well as a balanced approach to international relations, particularly in the context of US-Iran dynamics under a second Trump presidency.
He described Trump, a fierce Iran hawk who unilaterally withdrew the US from the JCPOA in his first term, as a “self-centered” politician whose temperament is not expected to change during his second term in the White House.
Zarif said he believed Trump will be a “very powerful” president, as he has managed to garner the support of large segments of the American public, both chambers of Congress, Supreme Court justices, and a majority of US states.
Trump’s imminent return to the White House has raised concerns in some circles in Iran that he will act on his promise to revive his signature policy on Iran—the maximum pressure campaign, characterized by draconian sanctions and diplomatic isolation—or, worse, that he might take military action against the country.
However, Zarif said he did not believe Trump is inclined to go to war with Iran. “His personal character is important, but in my opinion, Iran is a more significant actor; that means it is us who will determine how Trump will deal with us.”
Zarif noted that Iran remains a powerful player in the region, one that the United States cannot afford to overlook on regional issues. “Without Iran, no problem in the region will be solved,” he pointed out.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Zarif defended the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), describing the nuclear agreement as one of the greatest achievements of Iran’s foreign policy.
He criticized those who expected immediate results from the deal, arguing that it was always going to be a long-term process. “We turn victories into failures based on rapid expectations,” he said.
Zarif expressed strong opposition to Iran changing its nuclear doctrine, a notion that has increasingly been raised by some voices in the country in light of escalating tensions with the United States and Israel. He insisted that national policy should reflect collective consensus in the country rather than individual opinions.
Touching on President Pezeshkian’s message of national unity—a guiding principle of his administration—Zarif said the concept does not solely apply to forging consensus within the government; rather, it calls for dialogue aimed at reaching a common understanding in the country as a whole.
“For example, if we want to engage with the world, we should not expect that once an agreement is reached, problems will be solved overnight, and if they are not, we should not say the agreement has failed,” he elaborated.
Zarif further cautioned against a zero-sum game mentality in politics and in dealing with the world. “If we enter a knockout game in the world, it is us who will be eliminated. Therefore, we must accept the reality that the knockout game is not our game,” he argued.
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