Iran has declared its plans to focus on a nuclear issue in 2025, targeted at the United States and Israel.
Speaking with journalists in Beijing on Saturday, Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi noted that 2025 will be an important year regarding Iran’s nuclear issue.
While in the past months, conflict between Iran and Israel had escalated to a record high, Araqchi’s recent comments could imply that Iran is bracing for the possible reimposition of U.S. President-elect, Donald Trump’s maximum pressure policy.
Trump had in 2018 draw back on a deal struck by his predecessor, Barack Obama, in 2015, in which Iran agreed to curb uranium enrichment, which can yield material for nuclear weapons, in return for the relaxation of U.S. and U.N. economic sanctions.
The Iranian leader’s main concern may be that Trump could empower Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu to attack Iran’s nuclear sites while further tightening U.S. sanctions on its crucial oil industry.
The development comes as the Iranian rial on Saturday hit a new all-time low against the U.S. dollar amid uncertainty about Trump’s arrival in the White House on January 20, 2025.
Bonbast.com reported that rial plunged to 820,500 to the dollar on the unofficial market, compared with 808,500 rials on Friday