Trita Parsi, co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said Iran is not looking to completely pivot toward Russia and China under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear negotiations in Vienna if they are unsuccessful in discussions with the U.S.
Parsi explained during an interview on the Hill.TV’s “Rising,” that if negotiations fall through with the U.S., Iran is not looking to be entirely dependent on China and Russia.
“The JCPOA for the Iranians was a way to actually open up a pathway to be able to reengage with the West [at] large, meaning that it would just be on the nuclear issue but there actually would be a strengthening of relations between Iran and the West, particularly the Europeans and, in extension, the United States,” he said.
He noted there some Irani officials are against completely pivoting to the two countries.
However, Parsi noted the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal under the Trump administration made Iranians uneasy, suggesting that there may need to be some form of cost if the U.S. withdraws again.
“That is a leverage the U.S. has,” he added. “But in order for that to actually be actualized, there needs to there needs to be something on the table that is also attractive to the Irani side.”