Some Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, have
expressed support for the idea of a new round of talks with President
Trump, but are trying to condition it on the US pledging to make good on
previously promised sanctions relief.
Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made the surprise move to endorse direct talks with President Trump on Friday, saying Trump is a businessman “and therefore he is capable of calculating cost-benefits and making a decision.”
Ahmadinejad went on to say that in talks, Trump could be made to see
that the long-term cost-benefit does not support the idea of a war, and
that he should not be shortsighted.
Ahmadinejad was Iran’s president from 2005-2013. He broadly ran as a
centrist within Iran, sparring with hardliners and Reformists. He’s been
critical of the current, Reformist government, and most recently has
gotten in some legal trouble for accusing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei of embezzling money.
Former Iranian President Urges Direct Talks With Trump
Says Trump is capable of understanding cost-benefits of war
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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