Attempts to misinterpret Iran agreement doomed to fail: Analyst

Press TV has conducted an interview with Kaveh Afrasiabi, author and political scientist from Boston, to ask for his insight on a recent speech by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, where he elaborated on the impact of the recent nuclear agreement on the country’s defense capabilities.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: How straightforward was the Iranian President in outlining Iran’s defense strategy?

Afrasiabi: I think that this is an important speech by President Rouhani, outlining Iran’s conventional defense strategy that has been a subject of some debate and controversy, particularly in the United States, since the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was reached last July. And as the debate rages on in the US Congress in particular over approving or disapproving this deal, the US hawks are trying to attach the Iranian conventional military capabilities to the overall final agreement that is not Iran’s interpretation. And Foreign Minister Dr. Zarif recently stated that there’s no mention of the conventional forces at all in the Joint Plan of Action. And President Rouhani has reiterated that correctly and should be a correct signal to the US lawmakers who are debating this issue right now.

Press TV: Of course with this nuclear deal, and based on the recent remarks by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, how much will Iran allow American influence in its internal affairs?

Afrasiabi: I think that there are a lot of people in the US Congress especially [those] who are listening very carefully to what’s being said in Tehran especially by the Supreme Leader, who made a very strong statement endorsing this deal just a couple of days ago. And my interpretation is that the debate in the US Congress is leaning toward President Obama and the White House. And it will be very difficult, if not impossible, for the opponents of this deal to scuttle it there. So it has a very decent chance of getting through, and then we enter the implementation phase which is the trial-and-error [phase], and we will see how things will evolve then. There is supposed to be a meeting by this joint commission of the P5+1 this September alongside the General Assembly summit, where some of the details will be hammered out and so on. So, there’s a great deal of work ahead of us. And what matters most is that Iran and President Rouhani have made it very clear that there wouldn’t be any restrictions on Iran’s conventional forces. And that any attempt to misinterpret the final agreement is doomed.

Press TV: But of course, what if the Iran deal doesn’t make it through in Congress?

Afrasiabi: Then we have to see if the opponents of the deal have enough votes to override the presidential veto which is very unlikely at this point. And even if they succeed, I don’t think that the American people will favor that. I think the polls indicate that the majority of Americans are in favor of this agreement. Certainly, the sentiment in the international community is in favor [of the agreement]. And the American government will isolate itself in the international community if this deal is rejected by the US Congress.

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