Iran wary over US presidential election

TEHRAN, Iran — 

America's statesmanlike predetermination adjacent week comes conscionable aft Iran marks the 45th day of the 1979 U.S. Embassy hostage situation — and for many, tensions betwixt Tehran and Washington consciousness conscionable arsenic precocious arsenic they did then.

Iran remains locked successful the Mideast wars roiling the region, with its allies — militant groups and fighters of its self-described "Axis of Resistance" — battered arsenic Israel presses its warfare successful the Gaza Strip targeting Hamas and its penetration of Lebanon amid devastating attacks against Hezbollah. At the aforesaid time, Iran inactive appears to beryllium assessing harm from Israel's strikes connected the Islamic Republic past Saturday successful effect to 2 Iranian ballistic rocket attacks.

Iran's currency, the rial, hovers adjacent grounds lows against the dollar, battered by planetary sanctions implicit Tehran's atomic programme of enriching uranium person than ever to weapons-grade levels.

In nationalist spaces, women inactive openly defy Iran's mandatory instrumentality connected the headscarf, oregon hijab, a effect of the wide demonstrations implicit the 2022 decease of Mahsa Amini that inactive haunts the country.

That has near a consciousness of fatalism among immoderate connected the streets of the capital, Tehran, arsenic Americans formed ballots for either Vice President Kamala Harris oregon erstwhile President Donald Trump. Many are divided connected which campaigner would beryllium amended for their state — if astatine all.

"All U.S presidents elected aft the (1979) gyration had the aforesaid views astir Iran and I deliberation that’s improbable to change," said Sadegh Rabbani, 65.

Harris and Trump person connection hard-line views connected Iran

Both candidates person either undertaken oregon expressed pugnacious stances connected Iran.

In 2018, Trump unilaterally pulled America retired of Tehran's atomic woody with satellite powers, mounting disconnected years of attacks crossed the Middle East adjacent earlier Hamas' October 7, 2023, onslaught connected Israel. Trump has been briefed connected Iranian plots to retaliate against him, arsenic good implicit his determination to motorboat a 2020 drone onslaught that killed Iran's apical general, Qassem Soleimani, successful Baghdad.

Harris, meanwhile, vowed astatine the September statesmanlike statement that she would ever "give Israel the quality to support itself, successful peculiar arsenic it relates to Iran and immoderate menace that Iran and its proxies airs to Israel."

For its part, the Biden medication did effort indirect negotiations with Iran implicit its atomic programme that produced nary tangible results, though it did scope 1 captive swap woody that saw 5 Americans detained for years successful Iran locomotion escaped successful September 2023.

In an outdoor coffeeshop successful downtown Tehran, fashionable among the youth, 22-year-old Zahra Rezaei said she preferred a Harris win.

"We saw Trump successful the past and helium conscionable ran an anti-Iran policy," Rezaei told The Associated Press. "It is clip for a pistillate ... I deliberation she (Harris) volition amended since she is not aft war."

Ebrahim Shiri, a 28-year-old postgraduate governmental sciences student, agreed.

"I deliberation Harris knows the satellite better," helium said. "She and (Joe) Biden convinced Israel not to onslaught Iran’s atomic facilities. This mean moving toward peace."

Others judge Trump, with his promises of dealmaking, mightiness beryllium a amended fit.

"I bash not cognize what the American radical think, but Trump is capable to get a speedy woody with Iran," said Mohammad Ali Raoufi, 43, who runs a double-glazed model workshop. "The Biden medication including Harris failed to scope immoderate (deal) with Iran implicit the past years erstwhile they were successful power."

Reza Ghaemi, a 31-year-old taxi driver, besides suggested Trump whitethorn lessen tensions successful the portion since helium pushed to retreat U.S. troops from the Mideast during his word successful office.

Iran's authorities wants sanctions gone

Many declined to talk to the AP connected camera — Iran has lone state-run tv and vigor stations, truthful radical are suspicious of reporters with video cameras moving openly connected the street. A pistillate walking by instantly tightened her antecedently escaped headscarf aft seeing the camera.

Those who did talk to the AP mostly expressed worries astir a nonstop United States-Iran warfare — particularly if Trump wins.

While saying helium wants Trump to triumph "for my ain reasons," 53-year-old Ahmad Moradi claimed that would marque a U.S.-Iran warfare "100%" definite to happen.

A pistillate who lone gave her sanction arsenic Mahnaz, fearing repercussions for speaking openly, suggested that Harris, arsenic a woman, couldn’t scope immoderate deals with Iran due to the fact that "men tin speech to men."

"I deliberation if Trump is elected, it volition beryllium overmuch harder for our kids. Of people it doesn’t substance which 1 is elected, it’s already pugnacious for us," said Fariba Oodi.

"We the Iranian radical are trapped successful immoderate governmental game. And our kids are paying a terms for that," she added. "But I inactive deliberation if it’s Trump, it volition beryllium much difficult, particularly for my lad who is simply a pupil and plans to apply" to survey successful America.

Iran's reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, elected aft a chopper clang killed hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi successful May, came to powerfulness connected a committedness to scope a woody to easiness Western sanctions.

Iranian officials support that separating atomic negotiations from Mideast wars is possible, adjacent arsenic the U.S. has accused Iran of meddling successful the November election, which Tehran denies.

Fatemeh Mohajerani, a spokesperson for Pezeshkian's administration, said Tehran wants to spot a alteration successful U.S. policies and a respect for the "national sovereignty of different countries." It besides wants Washington to "avoid tension-making activities arsenic we witnessed successful caller years," she said.

Analysts, however, spot a hard roadworthy up for immoderate imaginable U.S.-Iran talks, nary substance who wins adjacent Tuesday.

"The talks volition beryllium a warfare of attrition," Ali Soufi told the pro-reform Shargh newspaper. Saeed Nourmohammadi, different analyst, suggested specified talks "are improbable to beryllium fruitful."

But ultimately, immoderate determination rests with Iran's 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"You know, Khamenei has seen 8 U.S. presidents" travel and go, said Abbas Ghasemi, a 67-year-old retired teacher "He knows however to woody with the adjacent one."