Anticipating the Trump administration, Iran calls 2025 an “important year” for its nuclear program
Iran was preparing for a possible reimposition of new US President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” policy, saying on Saturday that 2025 would be an important year for its nuclear program.
In 2018, Trump withdrew from a 2015 agreement signed by his predecessor, Barack Obama, in which Iran agreed to curb uranium enrichment in return for easing economic sanctions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told reporters in Beijing that “2025 will be an important year regarding Iran’s nuclear issue.” In the remarks broadcast on Iranian state television, he added that he had discussed the issue in talks with his Chinese counterpart.
However, he did not mention Trump by name or explain what significance the year might have. In the past, Iran has accelerated the program in response to new sanctions and pressure.
The Iranian leadership’s biggest concern may be that Trump could authorize Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities while further tightening U.S. sanctions on Iran’s crucial oil industry.
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While Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reportedly opposes the creation of a nuclear weapon, Iran is enriching uranium to a level relevant only to the construction of such bombs. The Islamic Republic is committed to the destruction of Israel and Jerusalem has vowed not to allow the regime to build a bomb.
Sanctions from the Trump administration could further impact Iran’s already weakened economy.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian greets International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi (l) during a meeting in Tehran on November 14, 2024. (Iranian Presidency / AFP)
The Iranian rial hit a new all-time low against the US dollar on Saturday amid uncertainty over Trump’s arrival at the White House on January 20.
According to Bonbast.com, which reports exchange rates, the rial fell to 820,500 per dollar in the unofficial market, compared with 808,500 riyals on Friday. The website bazar360.com also said the dollar was selling for about 820,500 riyals.
With inflation officially at around 35 percent, Iranians looking to protect their savings are buying dollars, other hard currencies, gold or cryptocurrencies.
The rial has fallen about 18% against the dollar since Trump’s election in November.
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