A former US ambassador to NATO says the election of Hassan Rohani as Iranâ„¢s next president took the White House by surprise, calling on US President Barack Obama to ease the illegal sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
In an exclusive interview with the Islamic Republicâ„¢s News Agency (IRNA) on Wednesday, Robert Hunter said Obama should order the lifting of at least some of the sanctions imposed on Iran as a goodwill gesture to the Iranian president-elect.
Hunter further described as Å“futile” the US-engineered economic sanctions against Iran, and said increasing the anti-Iran bans after the recent presidential election sends a very bad message to the Iranian nation.
He further expressed hope that the US president would send a positive message to Iran when Rohani takes office in early August.
Rohani won Iran’s presidential election of June 14, which was marked by a high voter turnout, winning 50.7 percent of a total of 36,704,156 ballots.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Hunter highlighted the importance of direct talks between Iran and the United States, saying such negotiations would be vital for mutual understanding.
He also claimed that Tehran and Washington have common interests, under which both sides can reach an agreement on the nuclear issue.
It is to the benefit of both countries to prevent the dispute over Iran’s nuclear energy program from further darkening the Tehran-Washington relations, Hunter noted.
The United States, the Israeli regime and their European allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.
Over the false allegation, Washington and the European Union have imposed a series of illegal unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republicâ„¢s oil and financial sectors.
Iran rejects the allegation over its nuclear energy program and argues that as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it is entitled to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
YH/NN/HJL
Republished with permission from: Press TV