ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said it was “not important” who wins the United States election because the next administration in Washington will “surrender” to Iran. "The result of the US elections and who will be the president is not important, because without a doubt, the next government will surrender to the Iranian people and they have no choice but to surrender to the law, regulations and pressure of public opinions and to the patience and resistance of this great nation," Rouhani said on Thursday during a speech inaugurating the first phase of a Persian Gulf water transfer project. In May 2018, US President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled his country out of the landmark nuclear deal, arguing the agreement did not guarantee Iran would not obtain nuclear weapons and that Tehran was destabilizing the Middle East through armed proxy groups across the region. Trump said the deal needs to be renegotiated to include Iran’s ballistic missiles program and regional behavior. Washington launched a maximum pressure campaign and crippling sanctions in a failed attempt to force Iran to return to the table. "During this period, there was a person in the White House who brutally intensified sanctions and war, even during the coronavirus era. They did not adhere to any human principles, human rights and international laws and regulations," said Rouhani. "At the same time I am sure that the Iranian nation will ultimately win." Trump’s challenger, Joe Biden, who is currently leading in the vote count but has not yet secured a win, has signaled he would return to the deal. As Americans went to the polls on Tuesday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said the US elections would not affect Iran’s policy towards America. "In relation to America, our policy is measured and clear and this policy does not change with the coming and going of individuals," he said in a video message aired on state media. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif shut down any talk of returning to negotiations in a Monday interview with CBS News. "If we wanted to do that, we would have done it with President Trump four years ago," he said.
