Rouhani Will Seek to Divide the West at the UN General Assembly

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will deliver his fifth annual address to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) this Wednesday. Rouhani is likely to emphasize two related themes that are key to the Iranian strategy of dividing the United States from its partners in Europe with regard to addressing the nuclear threat from Iran. While presenting Iran as a responsible power and a defender of the 2015 nuclear deal, Rouhani – fresh from reelection this May against an ultra-hardliner – is also likely to reiterate accusations that the U.S. has violated the pact, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Rouhani’s first theme will be alleged American intransigence with respect to the nuclear accord. Since the deal was inked, Tehran has sought to advance the narrative that the U.S. is holding back the sanctions relief it promised in 2015. This vitriol has been re-upped in 2017. In his address, Rouhani may channel the sentiment of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who claimed that Iran’s JCPOA experience has thus far “substantiated the pointlessness of negotiations with the Americans, their non-adherence to their commitments and the need to stick to a distrustful view of US promises.”

Before arriving in New York City, Rouhani reportedly reiterated that the U.S. was but one of “two or three governments” opposed to the JCPOA. He can therefore be expected to continue stigmatizing the U.S. as an untrustworthy partner, framing all American efforts to renegotiate, amend, or even vigorously enforce the JCPOA as bad-faith efforts to kill the accord. Indeed, as the UNGA approached, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissed as “pure fantasy” any U.S. effort to seek a better deal.

Second, one should expect Rouhani to allege that Iran is a responsible partner, both under the deal and in the Middle East. However, conciliatory rhetoric from the Iranian president should not mitigate the plethora of statements from senior Iranian officials forbidding the inspection of military facilities in Iran, which are permitted under the JCPOA. In particular, such inspections are needed to verify Section T of Annex I of the nuclear accord, which governs dual-use equipment and bars weaponization-related research. Likewise, according to experts, inspections of military sites would also aid the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in reaching a “Broader Conclusion” about the Iranian nuclear program.

With regard to terrorism and regional stability, the Islamic Republic covets the credit associated with rolling back the Islamic State and the status associated with being a responsible regional power. Rouhani can be expected to speak at length about the scourge of terrorism in the Middle East, yet Tehran continues to be the world’s “foremost state sponsor of terrorism” according to the State Department’s most recent annual report. One should also expect Rouhani to distract from Iran’s deep and abiding support for both Lebanese Hezbollah and the atrocities of Bashar al-Assad, as well as Tehran’s virulent anti-Semitism and threats against Israel.

After touching down at John F. Kennedy airport in New York City on Sunday, Rouhani proclaimed that “the strategy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is deep engagement with the world.” Such rhetoric is not new. Rather, it is a staple of Rouhani’s ongoing charm offensive, which is designed to play on persistent hopes in the West – and especially in Europe – that Iran is a partner for peace. Instead, the trans-Atlantic community should keep its guards up and stay focused on the facts of Iranian aggression and non-compliance.

Behnam Ben Taleblu is a senior Iran analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.